Blessed Be
by StarDragon
Summary: Sakura: Cardmistress by fate, witch by trade. She was betrayed, heartbroken, but she started her life anew, determined to leave the past behind. But sometimes, life is just not that simple...Also contains humor and some horror themes. CHAPTER 11 UP!
1. The Secret Between Them

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Blessed Be 

I'm not entirely happy with the title. I always have this problem…but it's not really important.

Anyway, hello to everyone! StarDragon is back after a bit of a writing slum, but I've got a whole new story for y'all to read and hopefully enjoy. So, What is it about?

Well, I'm not going to say much, except that this chapter and the next that will eventually follow, are both just an introduction to the main story. It will probably make sense once I get more of the chapters out, so you'll just have to bare with me. Anyway, I kinda put Sakura through hell in the two intro. Chapters, but it's just so you have an idea why she acts like she does in the rest of the story. The story is an AU and it kinda follows the original CCS storyline in that she gets the cards, and changes them etc. etc. 

BUT…

As you'll see, Syaoran was not involved in it at all…

IN FACT…

Syaoran isn't even in this chapter…or the next one…or in the next one if I can help it (actually, come to think of it, he'll probably come into the third chapter…). I'm not sure if Yukito will be in it, I might add him in if I see a point to it. 

Right, so besides that, it's a complete AU. It's set in a time when witchcraft, magic and so forth is thought by some as evil and anyone accused of practicing such 'black arts' are burnt at the stake. 

Fun huh?

Anyway, our dear friend Sakura, whom coincidentally does magic (in the form of her cards) gets caught up in the whole thing and…well, you'll see.

I can't really say much, because I want to reveal things as the story progresses.

All will be revealed in due time, so have patience. (And to those unfamiliar with my story updating habits, please have a _lot_ of patience…)

Right, let's get on with it shall we? To be different I decided to do the first bit in 2nd person POV, but for the rest of the story, it will be in 3rd person pov. In the second chapter (when I eventually get it out) it will come briefly back to 2nd person, but from then on, no more 2nd person pov. Okay?

Okay.

On with the show. 

(I don't own anything, except for the few characters I make up, such as Blaine, Medius, Arman and umm….I think that's all of them for this chapter.)

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Chapter One: The Secret Between Them

Rain lashed through the thick branches of the dark forest as you and your fellow travelers tread along the mud and water–logged path. Your thick woolen cloak, though effective against a light shower, stands no match for the driving rain. It sticks to your body like a thick second skin and only seems to add to your discomfort. But you and those around you have come through this dark and foreboding place for a purpose and there is no sense turning back now when the end is so nearly in sight. You glance up through the rain and the leaves and catch a glimpse of the sky through a gap in the canopy. If it had been a clear night, the sky would have been a rich velvety black dotted with thousands of stars, the moon shining down upon you to guide you through the darkness. But alas, the clouds had gathered and the heavens had released their wrath on your group as if to serve a warning from entering the very forest you now find yourselves in. But you're not going to let a little rain and wet wool stop you! 

A call to your left makes you look down from the treetops. A comrade in a cloak of rich green; almost black because of the rain, has spotted a fire through the trees ahead. Tired, soaked and starting to feel a little hungry, you and your companions trudge along with a bit more determination now that salvation is at hand. 

An old man is sitting sheltered under the thick bough of a tree in front of a very inviting fire. He glances up startled as you and your companions huddle as close to the fire as you think is possible without it looking like your being rude and intruding unwelcome. The man's weathered face softens into a smile and he beckons you all to come forward. "Come now, don't be shy, there is plenty of fire for all." 

You smile gratefully to the old man as you and the rest sit down around the crackling flames and gratefully pull of your sodden cloaks. The warmth from the fire spreads through you, banishing the chill and you feel yourself starting to feel almost human again when the old man speaks up. "I know you have all come to this forest for the same reason." He smiles benignly and pulls a pipe from within the folds of his cloak and starts to pack a strange smelling herb into the bowl. "You have come to seek the Sisters." 

You frown, a little surprised that this old man would know that, but then you think that perhaps he too is here for that very reason. Or maybe there is more to this old man than meets the eye. He puffs on his pipe, sending small clouds up into the rain soaked leaves and looks over to a man sitting to his left. "You have come because you hope that the sisters will cure you of your sickness." The benign smile returned to his face. "You, my friend, will be pleased to know that the 2nd sister has much knowledge of the herbs and medicinal plants that grow in this very forest, and indeed, from forests far away. She can concoct a potion that can cure anything. You, my ailing friend, they will be able to help." The man went from shock to relief and smiled for the first time that you had seen him since he joined the group. Out of everyone, he seemed the least likely to make it, let alone be able to actually receive any help. The old man then turns his attention to you. "You have no significant purpose for coming here, besides your own curiosity. Nothing…" He paused, his eyes fixed on your face as though he was trying to read your mind through your very skin. "but your insatiable appetite for an absorbing tale." He must have caught the slightly embarrassed blush reddening on your cheeks, as he did not hold your gaze and simply shrugged and looked into the fire. "Of course, it is merely a matter of opinion, but I believe you shall not be disappointed." He turned his attention to a young female to your right. "Your farm has been having trouble with foxes eating your chickens and eggs that you need to sell at market. I believe the 3rd sister will be able to help you in that area." The old man's eyes crinkled, as though smiling at a private joke. "She has a very rare gift that will be most useful to you."

You could almost feel the relief wash over the group. Many had traveled to this place for much the same reasons as those that the man spoke of. Most were of a sickness, as of yet incurable. Some, like the girl, were having troubles with their farms, their livelihoods on the line because of nature trying to reclaim its stolen territory. But there was one young lady who sat quiet, away from the rest. You could tell that she had a troubled past by the way not even the crackling firelight could dispel the dullness in her eyes. She had not smiled, nor even spoken once through the entire journey. She had a story of which it seemed she just did not have the heart or the strength to share, but perhaps the old man would enlighten you. He was gazing at her, an unreadable look in his eyes. "You, I'm afraid young mistress, may well have wasted your time." The young lady's head shot up, probably the quickest you'd seen her move ever, and stared at the man with a desperate look on her face. The old man sighed and continued. "You are in love with a man whom does not return the same feelings. You wish for a potion…or a spell perhaps? So that will make this man see you in a different light. Affairs of the heart are tricky business…and often dangerous."

Tears started to gather in the corners of her eyes but you could see her defiantly trying to stop them from falling. "You could not possibly understand the torment I am going through. I have loved this man for so many years. I have done everything for him, but still he denies me his heart. I only seek the sisters help because every other option to me has been exhausted."

The old man nodded and stroked his chin. "Have you considered that this man that you love so dearly is just not meant to be…that perhaps it's time to move on and find someone truly worthy of your love?"

A tear managed to escape her control and trickled down her cheek, creating a small line in the grime that covered her face. "No! You're wrong. How can I move on when this feels so right? My heart will accept no other." This seemed to break whatever resolve she was still clinging too and she broke down in tears. A lady next to her pulled a dainty white handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to the girl. 

He watched the young lady sympathetically. "Your heart will learn child. It will ache, but it will learn, and you will be better for it." He turned and seemed to be addressing the whole group. "The sisters are certainly capable of doing the most extraordinary things, but matters of love, I'm afraid, are just not possible."

Curiosity getting the better of you, you question. "Why is that?" The old man glances at you. "Because a love potion, a spell, even an enchantment requires strength and will from all three sisters, and how can this be possible if one of the sisters does not herself truly believe in love?"

The lady that had handed the other the handkerchief frowned and gazed at the old man with a questioning expression. "How can that be? I thought everyone believed in love."

"Ahh, do not get the wrong impression. The sister of whom I speak indeed once believed in love."

"…But she does not anymore."

The man shook his head sadly. "Nay, she suffered a terrible misfortune in her past, and though in many ways she has strengthened from the experience, it also closed her heart off from ever believing she could find a man she could truly share her soul with." 

"…What happened to her?"

The old man smiles at you. He puffs on his pipe once more and turns his attention back to the young lady who had since stopped crying. "The first sister was in a similar situation to yours. She too loved a man with all her heart, but it was sadly not meant to be." He chuckled as he puffed on his pipe. There was silence as the old man prodded the fire with a stick. You glance at your companions then back at the strange old man. "So…what happened?"

The old man sits back and leans against the trunk, puffing thoughtfully on his pipe. "Ah, yes, what happened indeed…. First we must go back 4 or so summers, across lands to a place that lies many months journey from here. Yes, that is where it all began. For this is where the girl was born. This is where the girl grew up and this is where the girl first fell in love…" 

*

The day was bright and sunny, only a few white fluffy clouds dotted the vast expanse of blue. A young girl of 15 was strolling happily through a field covered in flowers of every imaginable colour. Every now and then she would stop and kneel down to pluck a bloom and add it to the bundle in her hand. Behind her, just past a sparkling river, sat the town of Imar. Further still from there, just at the base of the Rayne Mountains, was the largest establishment in the area. It belonged to Duke Arman, a strict and stuffy man who owned the town and a large portion of the surrounding area.

The girl, however, was not heading back into town. She was heading into the forest that surrounded the village. It wasn't exactly that she was forbidden to go there, but many were under the belief that young girls could not properly defend themselves against the sort of wild creatures that lived in the forest. But the girl was no ordinary girl. She was quite pretty in appearance; wide bright green eyes that showed you exactly how she was feeling, short light brown hair that she refused to grow like the rest of the young ladies in the town, who liked to keep their hair long. She was quite tall, having inherited her height from her father, and maybe a bit on the slender side, but this was not what made her so different. What made her so special was the unusually shaped pendant that she wore around her neck. 

It was what allowed her to do magic.

Her name was Sakura, and she was the Master of the Sakura cards. They were originally The Clow; a mysterious deck of cards held in a leather and metal bound book, which she found one day looking among her mothers' belongings. On the cover was a strange creature, like a lion but without a mane and huge white bird wings sprouting from its back. When the book was opened, the cards escaped, the guardian beast awakened and Sakura's life was never the same again. With the help of her two best friends Tomoyo and Meiling, occasionally her over-protective brother and by the unusual creature that was found sleeping in the book (who, it turned out, was somewhat smaller than the illustration on the cover suggested), she eventually caught and changed the cards so that they truly belonged to her. Tomoyo thought it would be suitable to call them The Sakura cards, and so the name stuck. 

Humming a tune to herself, Sakura strolled into the forest to look for some more flowers. She had just been wandering around, absently picking flowers here and there, enjoying the calls of the birds and the tranquility when a shout broke the calm and sent the birds squawking into the air. 

"BLAINE! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, WE HAVEN'T FINISHED TRAINING YET!"

"HA HA HA! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, MEDIUS!!" Someone yelled out in frustration. The second person laughed as the sound of thudding hoof beats grew closer. Sakura saw the silhouette of a rapidly approaching horse and rider heading right in her direction. She turned to run away, and had just ducked behind a thick bush when she heard the laughing rider come to a stop in the spot where she had just been. But instead of running away, curiosity got the better of her and she stopped and peaked around the side of the bush. 

The rider was younger than she had thought; he looked barely a few years older than she was. He had a handsome face and a pair of eyes bluer even than the sky itself. The rider, still chuckling to himself, dismounted and brushed a loose strand of brown-blonde hair out of his face before pulling the reins over his horses' head. He seemed to be looking for something. Sakura ducked when his gaze swept the bush that she was hiding behind. He smiled and tried to look around the branches. "I know you are there, you can come out..."

Sakura froze; looking something like a rabbit whom just bumped into the hunter. The flowers fell unnoticed from her hand. A few rolled out slightly from where she was hiding. 

Chuckling, the boy moved around the bush a bit more, "Come on, I won't hurt you…"

Sakura stood still and took a deep breath. She seemed to be considering something for a second. Then she smiled and, quietly as a mouse, sneaked up behind the boy and tapped him on the shoulder. 

He almost jumped right out of his clothing in fright. "AAARRRGHHHH!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?"

Sakura giggled into her hand. "Because I can."

The boy ran a hand through his hair and regarded the girl in front of him. "Well, fair enough, but give me a little warning before you do that again, okay?"

"Where is the fun it that though?"

The boy gave her a strange look then chuckled and shook his head. "So, does the fair lady have a name?"

A blush reddening her cheeks, Sakura smiled and curtseyed before presenting her hand. "My name is Sakura Kinomoto kind sir. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The boy smiled and lightly grasped her hand before bowing slightly to kiss the top of it. "My name is Blaine Wentire, and the pleasure is all mine, milady."

Sakura looked surprised. "_Wentire_? Do you mean…_Duke_ Wentire?"

"Lord Wentire, actually. My father is Duke. I'm just his son."

The look of surprise changed to something bordering on fear. She didn't seem to want to make eye contact with him anymore. 

"What, is something wrong?"

She started to back away. "I-I-I shouldn't be here…talking to you, I'm sorry, I-I've got to go" Much to Blaine's surprise, she brushed past him, stooping low to scoop up the flowers she had dropped before running off through the trees. "WAIT! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY?"

"I should think it would be I asking the very same thing of _you_, Master Blaine…"

Blaine froze, slowly turned around and looked up into the face of his slightly annoyed looking mentor, Medius. 

"Oh…Hello sir, I was just…I just thought that Quill could use a bit of a run…"

Medius's gaze swept over Quill, Blaine's horse, who was idly chewing on some leaves, and replied in a dry tone. "Yes, he seems to be thoroughly worn out…now if we can get back to your lessons Master Blaine, before your father starts to notice how much you have been slacking off lately."

Blaine sighed and untied the reins he had hooked over a tree branch before throwing them back over his horse's head and hoisting himself into the saddle. "Okay, Okay, let's go…"

The two riders lightly kicked their horses into a slow trot and continued further into the forest. "Who was it that you were talking to before?"

Blaine, who was gazing off through the trees, answered in a slightly distant voice. "It was a girl…she said her name was Sakura…and she seemed…afraid of me…when I told her that I was the Duke's son…"

"Well your father is a formidable man…he has made a lot of enemies lately. Why she would be wandering around the forest unescorted is what I find unusual. A forest is no place for young ladies, far too dangerous. Perhaps we should go find her and escort her back out, to make sure she gets home safely?"

Blaine brightened up slightly, but then sank back to his previous stupor. "I _would_ have liked to, but she ran off towards the edge of the forest, I believe she will already have left."

"In that case, can we please get back to your lessons?"

Blaine sighed and nodded. "Okay, Medius, you win…"

*

It wasn't until a few weeks later that the two happened to bump into each other again. It was once again in the forest, for Blaine had been spending his spare time wandering the trees in hopes of bumping into the mysterious girl again. His patience was rewarded one cloudy day when the girl appeared carrying a basket of berries and herbs, which she had been picking along a forest path. She looked up startled when she heard her name being called. "Sakura! Milady! I was hoping I would bump into you again!"

She didn't seem as bright and cheerful to see him as she had initially been the first time they had met. In fact, she didn't even stop walking when she saw him. Giving Blaine an impassive look, she replied coolly, "Am I to be under the impression that you have been waiting for me?"

Blaine shrugged "You intrigue me, I merely wanted to find out more about you." He skipped forward a few steps to stand in her path so that she couldn't continue walking. "Why are you so afraid of me?"

Sakura sighed before looking up into his face. "It is not you whom I fear…and it is not exactly fear that makes me wary it is…I should not even be talking to you. If your mentor finds out that the Lord Duke is talking to a mere common girl we would both be in trouble."

"I came here by myself, Sakura, we won't get in trouble." She still looked worried so Blaine put on his best, most charming smile and held out his arm for Sakura to take. "Come, let's go for a walk, these woods are lovely this time of year, I promise no harm will become you while you are with me."

Sakura hesitated, but looked up into his sincere eyes. Slowly, a smile spread onto her lovely face and she linked her arm through his. 

It became a habit for the two; at least once a week, they would set aside a time when they could meet alone in the woods, often to talk, sometimes to just walk and take in the beauty of the forest. They became fast friends and grew closer over the coming weeks. So close, it seems, that they eventually began to love one another. 

*

__

One year later…

A storm was brewing over the fields and the nearby town, and had been for a few days. The dark clouds churned and the low rumblings of thunder announced that it was probably going to break that very day. But for one young woman of 16, a little foreboding thunder was the least of her problems. She was running late once again. Her unusually short hair blew in her face as the breeze whipped around her. She stopped at the edge of the forest and looked around behind her at the field she had just sprinted across. It wasn't that she was forbidden to go in the forest, it was just that anyone watching might become curious to why a young lady was out on a day like that all by herself and going into a forest, of all places and might decide to follow. But luckily, the field was deserted and stepping into the relative safety of the trees, she adjusted her cloak and tried to tidy her wind blown hair a bit before continuing on further into the woods. The forest was special to her and, of course, the person she was going to meet. In fact, it was that very forest in which she had first met this special someone. 

Sakura arrived at the spot and frowned slightly as she looked around. 'Well,' She thought as she sat down on a mossy log, 'there's something you don't see everyday. I'm even later than I usually am and he isn't even here yet…' Leaning back and looking through the gaps in the trees, she watched as the grey clouds churned overhead. She smiled slightly as she fiddled with the key-shaped pendant tied on a long leather strip around her neck. 

It was a bit of a bad habit with Sakura, fiddling with her pendant whenever she was thinking or daydreaming or in a state of mind other than where she should be concentrating. It certainly annoyed Tomoyo and Kero enough. 

Not that they could really talk. The mere whiff of something that could be classified as 'edible' and 'sweet' distracted Kero, her guardian beast, even in the most serious situations. In his small form it was okay for him to have a slice of cake or two to satisfy his hunger. But it is when he is in his true form; the large winged mane-less lion (that which was featured on the cover of the book that the Clow cards were found in) when things really get out of hand. No bakery in the world could fully satisfy that bottomless pit. 

Tomoyo couldn't even go a day without making at least 2 new items of clothing. She would literally follow you around all day with a needle and thread if she thought your clothing could do with adjusting. 

And then of course there was Meiling, who certainly has a number of strange habits herself. Still, everyone has a few quirks that make's them different from everyone else…the girls just have a few more than normal.

Sakura sighed and looked around the forest for a sign of Blaine. It really was unusual for him to be so late. She began wondering if he had perhaps forgotten about their meeting that day, or perhaps he had been unable to get away from his mentor, when he came stumbling through the trees, slightly exhausted and looking extremely apologetic. "I'm so sorry Sakura! I couldn't get away from Medius, he's been watching me like a hawk lately. I had to lose him in the library then sneak out the servants' entry." Sakura smiled as he flopped down on the log next to her and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Well, I suppose I have to forgive you, after all the times I have run late." Blaine grinned. "Exactly. Oh, I managed to get some food while I was travelling through the servants' quarters. Are you hungry?"

"A little I suppose. I can't really stay for too long though, I'm supposed to be meeting Meiling and Tomoyo by the well this afternoon."

Blaine had pulled off his satchel and was unloading the fruits, cheese and a fresh loaf of bread when he paused and gave Sakura a slightly skeptical look. "You three seem to venture off a lot together, don't you?"

Sakura smiled slightly and replied "Well, we do have a lot to talk about, and you know Tomoyo is teaching me how to sew and cook. And how would I know what's going on in town without Meiling. You said so yourself, she knows more about what's going on in town sometimes than even your father." Blaine chuckled and nodded before going back to unpacking the food, and so he missed what looked like a small sigh of relief from Sakura. 

It wasn't much later, once the light lunch was all but gone, that Blaine brought up the subject that he, at least, had been thinking about a lot lately. "I've been thinking Sakura…"

Sakura, who had been breaking off small pieces of bread and feeding it to the birds, smiled and replied loftily, "Hmm…now that's unusual…" She giggled at his attempt at a stern look.

"This is serious…What I was about to say is, I've been thinking about our future together."

Sakura stopped feeding the birds and turned to face Blaine properly. "Now you know my father doesn't exactly approve of me talking to people…uh…"

At his hesitation, Sakura replied, with a slight arching of her delicate eyebrow, "Below your class?"

"Yes, I've never seen a man so angry when I said 'Thank you' to a servant. But that is not the point. The point is, as lovely and kind and beautiful as you are, he will only ever consider you to be beneath me…and…and he will never agree to us…to us…." Blaine couldn't seem to get the words out, and started to mouth like a fish and circle his hand in the air.

Sakura started to blush. She had a feeling where this was heading, but managed to keep a straight face. "to us…?"

Blaine blushed and let out a long slow breath. He took Sakura's hands in his and looked her straight in the face. "Sakura, you know I love you, and I want everyone to know that. I'm tired of hiding and skulking around just because we think everyone will disapprove. I want to marry you…" Even though she was half expecting it, Sakura's eyes still widened in shock and her lips started to curve in what was going to be a very big smile. But Blaine held up a hand before she could say anything. "But we'll have to wait…until I take my place as Duke…"

Sakura gently pushed down his hand and questioned. "But why?"

"When I'm Duke, I will be able to make the rules, and then no one will disapprove. Then you won't have to ruin those beautiful hands of yours doing things like cooking or sewing. We'll be able to spend everyday together, not just once every week."

"…Everyday..?"

Blaine smiled and pulled her into an embrace. "We won't have to hide anymore." For some reason, Sakura wasn't as ecstatic over the news as he had thought. "What's wrong?"

Sakura sat back and started to absentmindedly toy with the key-shaped pendant. Blaine's eyes dropped down to the key. "Why do you always wear that thing?" He fingered the gold star on the top and smiled. "I know that star is made of gold…and those little bird wings are ivory, but the rest is just made of copper…when we marry I'll be able to buy you much more valuable keepsakes that are just as unusual but a lot more pretty." He dropped the key and looked back into her eyes. "Have I said something wrong?"

Sakura, fingering the pendant again, shook her head but refused to look up into his face. "No, it is just…Nothing would make me happier than to marry you, Blaine. I love you. It's just…I haven't told you everything about me…I have secrets."

Blaine, smiling, tilted his head down to try and look into her eyes, the virtual window to her emotions. "And so do I, but we'll have plenty of time to tell each other of them when we marry."

Sakura shook her head and took a deep breath before turning to look at him properly, her eyes wide with grief, fear and worry. "I'm scared that once I tell you, you won't want…" She lowered her eyes away and looked at her feet. "You won't want anything to do with me…"

Blaine chuckled and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Sakura's face. "Sakura, nothing you could tell me would ever stop me from loving you." With his hand on the side of her face, he gently pulled her towards him and kissed her so gently and so lovingly that Sakura felt the doubt she had been carrying simply melt away. 

"YOU WILL CEASE THAT IMMEDIATELY!"

Blaine and Sakura sprang apart, looking terrified, as two men, recognisable as the Duke's personal guards by the insignia on their uniforms, rode in, closely followed by the Duke himself, Arman. 

"F-Father, wh-what are you doing here?"

Armans fierce gaze swept over Sakura before settling onto his son. "A servant informed me that he saw you sneaking out the back entrance to the estate earlier today, when you were supposed to be in the library, studying with Medius. So why is it Blaine," he said with menace, "that I find you here…with _her._

The angry and distasteful tone the Duke had used seemed to snap Blaine from his state of fear. He stood up, his jaw set and said coolly. "Her name is Sakura Kinomoto, and I ask that you show the proper respect to my future wife."

The Duke's nostrils flared, making him look even angrier than before, but it did not last for long. His face twisted into a cruel smile and he replied, "Are you so sure about that, Blaine? Or have you actually come to terms with her little secret." Arman's eyes flickered over to Sakura for just a second, but from the frightened look on her face, and the way that the colour drained instantly from her cheeks, he could tell his suspicions were correct. Sakura started to tremble in fear and the pupils in her eyes shrank to pinpricks. "No…no…" Much to Blaine's shock, Sakura jumped up and bolted. 

"Sakura! Wher-"

"GUARDS! SEIZE HER!" The two guards kicked their horses into a gallop and rode off into the trees after her. Blaine, his face a mask of anger, turned on his father. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" 

Arman just regarded his son coolly from the corner of his eye. "You mean you haven't guessed it yet?" Arman shook his head as he dismounted. "Perhaps if you hadn't missed so many of your lessons, you would have worked it out by now…Ahh…" The guards had returned on foot, their horses following obediently behind them. They were holding the struggling Sakura between them. "I must say that was faster than I expected…from what I've heard about her, I'd have thought she would be harder to catch."

"FATHER! RELEASE HER AT ONCE!"

Where before Arman seemed to be enjoying the moment, his patience, it seemed, had come to the end of its tether. "_You are in no position to make demands here, boy._" Arman glared down at his son and said in a quiet but still menacing voice. "You will thank me one day, remember that."

Arman's twisted smile returned to his face as he turned to Sakura. She was on her knees now, forced to the ground by one of the guards, her arms held behind her by the other. Tears were streaming down her pale face, her head was shaking slowly from side to side, her mouth silently saying 'no' over and over. She appeared to be in a state of shock.

Arman stopped in front of her and forced her head up with his hand to get a good look at her face. "She is quite a pretty one, I see now how easy it must have been to get you Blaine, as was the case for many others I'm sure."

"Father what are you talking about?"

Arman laughed a cruel laugh and dropped her chin as he turned to his son. "She's a witch, Blaine."

Sakura shrieked and tried to get up and break free, but was struck on the head by one of the guards restraining her. She fell to the dirt face first, quiet sobs racking her body. 

Blaine's shocked wide eyes looked at the fallen girl but they did not seem to be fully focused on her. "No…It can't be true…Sakura…tell me it is not true…" Sakura slowly raised her head, her eyes were red from crying, her face blotchy and covered in mud and leaves. She looked into his eyes for only a moment before she bowed her head once again, but it was enough of a response. Blaine stumbled back until he hit a tree. "No…_no_…Sakura…" Blaine turned to his father, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "How do you know this?" Arman seemed to have been waiting to answer this question; his face twisted once again into a cruel smile of grim satisfaction. "I have known for a while, my son, about your little disappearing act, and when my sources informed me that you had been going to meet a girl, I decided to have her followed. You should know more than anyone how I feel about _her_ kind, and I had been hearing rumours about a young girl powerful enough to control the very elements." Arman walked up to his son and lowered his voice to a menacing growl. "You see, I am a very smart man, and I know that I have made a lot of enemies because of my beliefs and my methods and what better way of getting to me, than through my very own son." He stepped back as his voice returned to its previous volume. "My spies were soon to confirm my suspicions of this girl and so I waited. Waited until she was stupid enough to try something against me." Arman's nostrils flared once again in disgust. "Those foolish people in town think that it is unfair to convict a person of witchcraft without proof." The twisted smile returned to his face as he strode once more to Sakura and knelt down in front of her. "And what should I find this morning, but my prized stallion dead in its' stall, poisoned by the very graze we had brought from _her_ father's stall. Of course, I don't blame the father. He is a respectable man and besides, he wasn't the one at the markets yesterday, selling the produce." 

Although her body was still shaking from the silent sobs, Sakura's teeth were clenched as she said something only Arman could hear. "You know I didn't poison your horses feed…you set me up…" Arman chuckled again in a self-satisfied way, before he stood up and said out loud. "I will listen to no more of your lies, witch…" He glanced up at the two guards and said coolly, "Take her away and summon the town crier…Tell him to spread the word…a witch will burn before the day is out…"

"NO! LET ME GO! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! BLAINE! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME! BLAINE! HE SET ME UP! _BLAINE_!" Sakura struggled violently against her captors; kicking, biting and scratching when she managed to get a hand free, and it almost seemed as though she would succeed, until Arman stepped in and backhanded her painfully across her face. Sakura fell once again to the dirt, but did not bother to get up. Her lip burned from the blow and she could taste blood in her mouth. Arman had cut her with one of his rings. Arman walked over to his horse and removed two pairs of thick, heavy looking metal shackles from the saddlebags. Sakura didn't even resist when they were locked onto her wrists and ankles. 

Not even attempting to help her, even though he could very much hear her pleas and cries, Blaine slid down the trunk of the tree and buried his head in his hands as the two guards and Arman got back on their horses once again, and started to ride towards the town. Sakura, reduced to a shuffle due to the short amount of chain between the shackles on her ankles, had no choice but to follow along, bound to the end of a long length of rope, the other end of which was tied to a guards horse. 

Blaine did not even look at her once. 

*

Sakura gazed impassively at the road. She had already learned the hard way that the guards on horseback would not stop if she fell. When they rode into town, people parted and gaped at her in shock. A few people she knew, having grown up with them all her life, some she didn't recognise, but none came to her aid. Whether it was to do with cowardice or because of wisdom, everyone knew the Duke was not a man you wanted as an enemy, Sakura did not care. She did not pay attention to them. There was only one thing going through her mind, 'I will _not_ show my pain, I will _not_ show my pain.' It had taken every ounce of her will not to cry out when the shackles had been placed on her wrists and ankles. She was sure Arman knew about the properties of the binds, it was just too much of a coincidence for him not to. The shackles were made of an extremely rare metal called Eloran Iron, a substance that causes a sort of allergic reaction on contact to those that possess any form of magic. And as there are so many different forms of magic, as well as different people that practice it, the iron effects everyone differently. In Sakura's case, the second the cool metal touched her skin, needles of pain shot through her veins and the skin on her wrists and ankles in direct contact burned as though on fire. But she did not flinch or cringe or cry out.

She would not give Arman the pleasure of seeing her in pain. 

Sakura looked up when she saw the rope go slack. Her two escorts had stopped and Arman had dismounted. He walked towards her and stopped in front of her. "Welcome to the last place you will ever see, witch."

Sakura managed to keep her expression impassive, as she looked steadily at him, then at her surroundings. She had been led to the town's square. Yesterday, it had been a hive of activity, being Market day, people from the nearby farms and even a few from further away gathered to sell their wares and produce. Sometimes, travelling performers would visit and the square would be packed with people of all ages, enjoying the entertainment. 

There were plenty of people here today, though for a different kind of entertainment. Sakura always thought it was sick how so many people found amusement in watching another human being suffer. Still, it wasn't for everyone; a lot of people weren't there, finding the whole spectacle sickening. 

Taking a deep breath, Sakura turned back to the Duke, stared him right in the eyes, and spat in his face.

A shocked gasp came up from the crowd. Arman, not surprisingly, looked furious. "Why you little wen-" He had raised his arm to strike her, but had stopped with his arm outstretched. His eyes had become fixated on the pendant no swinging from the end of its' leather chord, having come free when she had fallen earlier. "So, that is the key they say you summon all your power with. Well, we can't let you keep it, can we? Wouldn't want you to ruin the show by escaping…"

Arman snapped the chord off her neck and caught the key in a leather pouch as it fell. Sakura glared at him with a look of utmost loathing before her eyes fell to stare unblinking at the pouch he now tied to his belt.

She knew that she had little time left and it had become clear that her friends would be unable to help her. Another guard had rode by earlier to inform the Duke that her Father and Brother, as well as the families of her friends had been restrained. Arman obviously didn't want anyone to ruin the burning. It had brought a small smile to her face though, to learn that Touya had broken several bones, none of which were his own, and had given out more than few black eyes, among other things. As for her friends, Tomoyo, Meiling (of whom was 'strangely enough' carrying a 'child's play thing') they had escaped, but had been followed by a troupe of skilled trackers. It would only be a matter of time before they too were caught, and would likely suffer a fate similar to Sakura's.

Upon learning this, Sakura sent a silent pray to her friends and families that they would be unharmed, that she alone would suffer this fate, and then began to think of her cards. She and her friends had worked so hard and for so long to first capture and then change all of them. She knew that if she died, the cards or rather the spirits inside them would too and she did not want that to happen. So, Sakura closed her eyes and ignored the shouts and jeers and cries of all those around her. She wasn't even fully aware of when she was pulled up to the wooden column and tied to it. She didn't even feel it when they started to stack the logs around her feet, high enough to reach her calves. Instead, Sakura concentrated and concentrated hard, for the shackles were now starting to drain her of her strength, on a single chant in her mind. 'I free you, spirits of the once Clow, now of the Sakura. I free you of your chains…of your binds to my soul, I release you…I free you, spirits of the once Clow, now of the Sakura….' Over and over again she silently chanted, until she felt rather than saw the key dissolve in the leather pouch, the spirits come free of the cards, as the cards themselves faded to nothing. She wondered briefly what would happen to Kero, now without any cards to guard and soon without a mistress to protect. But she was sure he would begin a new life somewhere safe, and so she continued to chant in her mind, even when she felt it start to weaken her even faster than the shackles. It was beginning to get hard to breathe, as the intense heat of the flames, and the smoke and ash from the fire started to reach her.

She felt herself start to pass out when an ear piercing animalistic shriek snapped her out of her trance. The full extent of the sounds and smells hit her at once as she wrenched open her eyes. Lightning split the skies as the terrified townspeople scattered in fear as something came galloping towards her. It was like something out of a nightmare, a _huge _horse unlike any she had ever seen before. Its coat was so black that it seemed to absorb the very light around it, it's giant hooves shook the earth and kicked up huge clumps of mud and dirt as it passed. The demonic beast skidded to a halt in front of Sakura and tossed its huge head. Its wild red eyes looked straight into Sakura's and she felt a chill go down her spine. You could see the intelligence in its eyes; it was most certainly not your ordinary horse. Rearing up on its muscular hind legs, the horse kicked at the burning logs, knocking them away from Sakura before turning to face a group of guards that were now advancing towards it, swords drawn. 

It was then that Sakura saw that the horse had a rider. Hidden before by the horses long mane and thick neck, the rider looked to be neither human nor animal. Though female in appearance, its skin was a powder green in colour, and its arms and legs, from what she could see, were covered in odd darker green tattoos of what appeared to be ivy. Its ears were long and pointed, and reminded Sakura of leaves, as the tattoos on the ears more resembled leaf veins. The beings long purple-grey hair was adorned by a crown of thorns, which almost seemed as though it had grown right out of the creatures head. The guards were too preoccupied by the horse and its rider to notice that the burning logs around Sakura had been knocked away, and that she was out of any immediate danger of being burned. Even Arman didn't seem to have realised. He was too busy shouting orders to the guards. But though the fire was now the least of her problems, it seemed the shackles themselves would finish her off instead. She was getting weaker by the second, and all she could do was watch helpless as the horse and rider fended of the guards. 

By now they were seriously outnumbered. More and more guards had entered the square as the last of the frightened townspeople left. Sakura wasn't even aware, despite the fact that Imar _was _quite large, that the town even had so many. And all of the guards now entering the square were carrying ropes and chains. The rider, however, saw them approach even before Sakura had yelled out a warning. 

The tattoos on her arms suddenly seemed to come alive. The vines of ivy started to twist and writhe on her skin and started to grow rapidly towards her fingers, and shot out of her fingertips. Lightning flashed once again as the first wave of guards fell to their feet, their legs and arms tangled up by the living vines the rider created. But with every man the creature tangled up or the horse kicked and knocked down, others seemed to arrive and take their place.

And then the rain started to fall and it was utter pandemonium. 

The ground was turned to thick mud in seconds. The horse was now no longer on such stable footing and almost tumbled over on the slick surface when it tried to fend off a guard with its front legs. As for the guards, they weren't doing too well themselves. The rain was so thick and heavy that it was getting hard to see much of anything. But one got lucky and managed to throw a rope around the horses' neck. The rider saw and tried to pull it off put was pulled roughly to the ground when another rope sailed over her head too. The horse let out another ear-splitting shriek as it saw its rider being dragged off through the mud. It used its weight to its advantage, causing the guards on the end of the rope around its neck to go flying. Sakura could hear Arman yelling himself hoarse over all the noise. "GRAB THAT ROPE! SOMEONE GET SOMETHING AROUND ITS LEGS, WE NEED TO GET IT OFF ITS FEET!"

Sakura watched in horror as the guards obeyed and the horse was sent crashing to the muddy ground, its legs now tangled in ropes and chains. Sakura looked up through the rain from the horse and the struggling rider and felt an icy drop of fear slide down her spine. Her heartbeat began to beat so harshly in her chest that it felt like it would jump right out of her skin at any moment. Her breaths were coming out short and fast.

Arman was slowly approaching her, and he was carrying a sword, the tip dragging in the mud.

"One way or another, _witch" _he snarled when he finally reached her. "You _will_ die by my hand…"

Terrified green eyes met cold merciless blue.

The world at that instance seemed to slow. All she could hear through the loud roaring in her ears was her heartbeat.

__

Thump…

A twisted smile on his face, Arman slowly raised the blade above his head.

__

Thump…

Sakura's eyes fixed on it, as the rain splashed and distorted her reflection on its dull silver surface. 

__

Thump…

Armans eyes widened and his face slowly broke into what she knew, but could not hear to be a twisted laugh.

__

Thump…

The blade rose slightly, then started to descend in what Sakura felt was so painstakingly slow that for a fleeting second she wished it would all just be over. She clenched her eyes' shut waiting for the inevitable…when there was an _explosion_ of sound and heat and bright white light. Sakura wrenched open her eyes' as everything seemed to speed up once again. At first she saw nothing but smoke, but as the rain cleared the air, she saw first the sword, now a blackened twisted lump at her feet, then Arman, lying unconscious a few feet away. 

Sakura screamed out in fright as lightning struck once again, and felt herself fall forward and hit the ground. She pushed herself up out of the mud and looked at the shackles still bound to her wrists, them to the column she had been chained to. It was smoking at the spot where it had struck, right in the very place that the chains had been secured. 

It was no coincidence; someone else was trying to save her. Sakura pushed herself to her feet, and, hoping that whoever had helped her would also help the horse and its rider, she ran. 

Away from the square and away from the houses but most importantly, away from Duke Arman.

She ran until her legs collapsed under her and sent her tumbling into the mud. But she did not have the strength to get up. So she lay there, her face in the mud and leaves and she sobbed, as the rain continued to fall and thunder crashed and rumbled in the distance. 

**

**Rocks on heels** So…what did you think?

I know it's a little more…uhhh…creepy than what I usually put out, but don't worry, my usual brand of weird humor will be back eventually. Just not in the next chapter.

The next chapter will be serious too…

After that I plan to have a little fun.

Umm, you're all probably asking yourselves, 'Who the _hell _is this Blaine guy, and why is he such an ass? And where is Syaoran while all this is happening?? Well, without wanting to spill too much, Blaines actually a nice guy, he just has…uhh…issues. And Syaoran…well he's not important at the moment… Like I said, I'm not going to reveal anything until necessary…strictly on a need to know basis…i.e. I'm not telling you anything until I think you need to know it to move the plot along. 

Oh in case you wondering, yes, Arman _is_ actually an ass. But he kinda has reasons too, besides just being an ass of course. 

Right, I think I've confused enough people for one day.

Ciao till later!!

StarDragon ^-^

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! (Oh, and if anyone has ideas for a better title, I'm all ears…)


	2. Home Sweet Home

****

Blessed Be

Look at that, a new chapter and it didn't even take me three months to get out. Hmmph, that must be a record for me. Anywho, it's not as dark and depressing as I had originally wanted it to be, and this chapter just ties up a few things before I get on with the rest of the story. It may be a little boring, but I'll liven things up later on. ^-^

I'm still a bit iffy on the story title, but at this point I'm a bit reluctant to change it just yet. It may be a bit bright for the content of the story at the moment, but it's just the beginning…but then again…from what I've got planned for _later_…**sits in thinkers pose** hmmmm…I'll have to think about it… 

Anyway, a BIG BIG BIG **takes a deep breath** **BIG **Thank You to Bunni, my editor, (sorry I forgot to add a thank you in the last chapter!!) for, of course, editing… **grins** and fixing up all my (usually grammatical) errors! 

And THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to everyone who reviewed!! You all rock and the encouragement was muchly appreciated! 

Anyway, I don't own anything, so let's get on with things!

****

Chapter Two: Home Sweet Home 

"Sire! The Daidouji residence has been searched; we believe they left when the guards went to aid you in the Town's Square. They have taken much of their belongings…"

Arman nodded as he stared out into the rain from the comfort of his carriage. "They won't be back. What of the Li residence?"

"It is the same. Our sources say that the Li, Daidouji and the Kinomoto families were close. It is likely that they are travelling together. The rain has washed away their tracks, but a group of that size should be easy to find. " 

"No. They are unlikely to return. Lord Kinomoto is smart enough to know that they are no longer welcome in my town. Remove everything you can from the houses and have it all burned. As for the houses themselves, I'm sure we can find a use for them." 

The guard saluted, then mounted his horse before riding off into the rain. The Duke watched until the guard was out of sight before looking over to the other side of the carriage. Blaine was sitting in the corner, staring blankly out the window. His face was steely, expressionless, but his eyes looked hollow and sad. The Duke had not seen it, as one side of Blaine's face was cast in shadow, but at the mention of the name Kinomoto, a single tear fell and dropped to the floor unnoticed. 

Arman clasped his hands on his lap. "This is all for your own good my son. I wish only to give you the best chance-"

"-No father, I do not want to hear it." 

Arman let out a long breath. He turned to tap on a small wooden slat next to his head. The slat slid across. "Where would you like to go, Sire?"

"Back to the mansion. And quickly, I am getting sick of all this rain."

"Aye, Sir."

The wooden slat snapped shut and a second later the carriage jerked forward into the rain. 

*

Sakura awoke with a start. 

She felt disoriented at first; her vision was blurry and her body felt weak and heavy. She could not hear the rain anymore, and from what little she could see, she was in a bedroom. But from the last that she could remember before she had passed out, she had been in the forest. Where was she now? And who had brought her here? 

Slightly panicked, she tried to sit up. 

"No mistress, it would be better if you lay down. At least until your vision returns…"

Sakura froze. "How do you know my vision is-who are you?"

Though everything was still blurry, Sakura could see various recognizable objects in the room. She could see a doorway to her left, what appeared to be a curtain covering a section of the wall to her right, and on the wall in front of her was a fireplace, complete with a warm fire. But she could not see anything that in the least resembled the person who had talked. The voice spoke up once again, from the direction of the fireplace. "I am a friend, mistress. Miss Tomoyo and Miss Meiling were needed, and Ceroberos became hungry, so I was asked to watch you. There is a flagon of restorative draft on the small table near your head. Tomoyo made it for you, it will make you feel better." Sakura didn't move at first. She had no idea whom this person was, and the fact that she, for the voice was distinctly female, seemed to know quite a lot about her friends was a little unsettling. But there was just…_something_ about the voice…it was comforting. Sakura turned to the blurred shape that was the bedside table and picked up the flagon. She sniffed the contents inside. It certainly smelled like one of Tomoyo's potions, so after another second of hesitation, Sakura drank the liquid. The taste was acidic and burned slightly as it went down her throat. Sakura coughed and made a face. "Uuugghh, now I definitely believe you. Only Tomoyo can make a potion taste that foul." She heard the voice start to chuckle again as Sakura's vision cleared and her body began to feel stronger. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked over to the fireplace where the chuckling was coming from. Sakura's eyes widened, and she gasped at what she saw. 

"F-F-_Firey_?"

It was the spirit of the Firey card, sitting cross-legged in the flame's of the fire. The spirit bowed her head and spoke. "'Aye mistress, it is I." 

"But…how is that possible…I thought I freed you…I am not your Mistress anymore…and why are you so small?"

The spirit smiled. "You did free us, and if I had been my true size, I would not fit in the fireplace. And you will always be our Mistress. Until the day you part from this life."

Sakura's eyebrows crinkled as she tried to make sense of the news. "But I freed you from me…the chant…" Sakura touched her hand to her chest, to the spot that the key used to lay. "…I no longer have the key…"

"You must understand Sakura. The Key controlled the cards, and the cards were a restraint. The chant you performed destroyed the key and therefore the cards and the restraints that had held us. When you changed the Clow cards to the Sakura cards, we became linked to your soul. We are a part of you and always will be."

"But in the chant, I said for you to be free from my soul…"

The Firey shook her head. "It does not work like that. The only way to completely free us from the bond to your soul is if you die, then we would be free, to find another master to guide us. The chant worked only to free us from the cards."

Sakura looked down at her feet. "I did not know I had you enslaved. I…I am sorry."

"Do not feel sorry, Mistress Sakura. You never made us do anything we were not happy doing. And now that the cards have been destroyed, we are more free than we ever hoped. We are now able to have our own will, and our own voice." There was a thump from outside the door. Firey smiled. "Your friends and Ceroberos are returning." The Firey stood up and bowed. "I exist in fire now, if you ever need my help. Farewell, Mistress." The door swung open as the flames of the fire flared and engulfed the spirit. When they died down, she had gone. 

Before she even had a chance to look from the fire, Sakura was engulfed by two distraught young women and a sobbing stuffed animal that smelled strongly of cake. 

"Sakura! You are finally awake! We were so worried when we found you in the woods…"

"Your face was death white, and you were barely breathing!"

"SSSSAAAAAAKURRAAAAAAAA. I'm so sorry! I went to help you, but when I lost all my powers I could not change back into my true form, and then I lost Meiling and Tomoyo, and I'mmm ssssooooorrrryyyyyy." Sakura blinked as Kero buried himself in her stomach and wailed. Meiling wiped a few tears from her eyes, and plucked the sobbing toy from Sakura's stomach by his tail and deposited him on the bedside table before hugging Sakura again. "We were so worried about you. Everyone was looking for you. Be thankful that we were the ones that found you first."

Sakura returned the embrace, then nodded as they let go and sat on the edge of the bed. "I am sorry. I did not mean for any of this to happen. I was not able to think straight ever since Bl-" Sakura stopped short, her eyes loosing focus of the room. Tomoyo glanced at Meiling then back to Sakura's now deathly pale face. "Sakura…are you okay? Did I not make the draft properly…"

Sakura's shook her head and raised a violently shaking hand to her mouth. 

"Sakura?" 

Sakura's face screwed up as a sob escaped her lips. Big tears escaped her tightly clenched eyes and trickled down her face. Kero floated up. "Sakura? What's wrong?" His face darkened. "It's Blaine, isn't it? He has something to do with this." His face darkened. "Tell me what he did Sakura, and I'll do everything within my pow-"

"Kero, could you go downstairs and brew this into a tea for me? It will help Sakura relax." Kero looked confused at Tomoyo then at the small pouch she was holding out for him. She gave him a long steady look. Kero mouthed a small 'o' and took the pouch before flying quietly out the door. Sakura seemed to be having trouble breathing. She was wheezing between sobs, and she had started to cough. Tomoyo and Meiling did there best to calm her down until Kero returned. Tomoyo rubbed her back as Meiling tried to soothe her. "Shhh Sakura, breathe, just breathe…take a deep breath…" It took a little while, but eventually her breathing became more controlled, and she stopped wheezing. Tomoyo continued to rub her back. "Do you think you are able to tell us what happened? It might make you feel better…"

Sakura didn't move or say anything at first. She glanced up slightly when Kero returned carrying a steaming mug, but her eyes dropped once again when he handed it to her. Kero turned to Tomoyo and mouthed 'I'll be outside'. Tomoyo smiled slightly and silently mouthed back a thank you. Kero slipped out the door as Sakura drank some of the tea. She took a deep breath and finally spoke, her voice quiet. "I had gone to meet him in the woods again…we were talking and he…he said…" Her head dropped as another tear trickled down her cheek. "He said he loved me, and he didn't want us to hide anymore… He wanted us to marry." Tomoyo's hand went to her mouth as she gasped. Meilings eyes widened in unabashed awe. Neither said anything, allowing Sakura to continue. "I knew that this day would come, and I knew that I would have to tell him about me…about us…and what we can do. But before I could tell him…" Images flashed through her mind. The guards arriving, then Arman riding into the clearing. Arman's hand sweeping through the air as he backhanded her. The look on Blaine's face, when he found out and how he slid to the ground, his face in his hands, as she was taken away. "He-he-he told me that nothing I could say would ever stop him loving me…but " Her face screwed up once again. "He didn't even look at me. He barely even tried to stop his father when they were taking me away." Sakura's voice had become slightly hysterical. "How could he do that to me? I loved him! Why did he just sit there?" She was starting to wheeze again, so Tomoyo pulled her into another hug as Meiling made her take another sip of the tea. "We don't know why he didn't help you Sakura. We probably never will. But do not tear yourself up over it Sakura. He does not deserve someone as pure and loving as you."

Tomoyo nodded as she wiped away Sakura's tears with a handkerchief. "That's right. Some day you will find someone who will make you so happy, that Blaine will seem nothing more than a distant memory."

"…No."

"No?" Meiling glanced at Tomoyo before looking back at Sakura. "'No' what?"

Sakura's face was set and emotionless as she stared off into the distance. "I will never love again. My heart can not take the pain."

Tomoyo tried to reason with her. "But Sakura…surely you do not mean that…you will find another-"

"_No…_" Sakura looked back at her friends, her expression once again sad. "You do not understand. It_ hurts_. I feel like I've lost something here," She put a hand to her heart "which I will never get back and it hurts, so much." She looked down at her lap. "He promised me the world and yet all he gave me was sorrow. I can not trust another so much that they leave me vulnerable enough to cause this much pain." The others were quite. Sakura lapsed into silence once again. She would not say anymore. 

She did not talk again until later that night when her father and brother came in. Touya was walking with a slight limp and both his eyes were black, but that didn't stop him almost choking Sakura in a hug. "Father, Touya…I am so sorry. I-"

Fujitaka smiled sadly as he gave his daughter a hug. "Tomoyo and Meiling explained to us what happened. We are just glad that you are better." His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "How are your wrists and ankles?" 

"My wrists and ankles?" Sakura looked down at her arms, then pulled back the long sleeves of her nightdress. Her wrists were covered in bandages. It was the same with her ankles. She hadn't noticed before because she hadn't felt them. She realised with a start that it was because they were completely numb. She was about to pluck at the fabric when Touya's hand covered hers. "You do not want to do that. I was helping Tomoyo when she was applying the salve and it is not a pretty sight. You can take them off an a few days time, but not any earlier." Touya's tone of voice and expression left no room for arguments. Sakura smiled weakly and dropped her hand to her side. "Whose room is this? I don't believe I have ever seen it before…" 

Fujitaka brushed a strand off hair out of Sakura's face. "It belonged to your mother, this is where she grew up."

Sakura looked confused at first "But mother did not grow up in Imar, she grew up in…" She stopped, "We are in Haayen?" Fujitaka nodded. "But that is nearly two days journey from Imar…have I been asleep for that long?"

"You have. We were worried at first but Kero reassured us that it was just because you drained yourself so much and that you just needed time to recover. He actually thought you would sleep at least another day, but you were always stronger than you looked." 

Sakura still looked a little confused. "But I thought you did not see eye to eye with grandfather…"

Fujitaka rubbed the back of his head. "Well, he was not very happy to see me, but in light of what happened he was willing to put old grudges aside and let us stay here until we could all find a place of our own. Meiling's parents, as well as Tomoyo's, are staying here as well."

Sakura looked sad once again. "Then everyone had to move…all because of me?" Touya frowned and gently took her chin in his hand so that she would look him in the eye. "Don't you think for a second that this is your fault, Sakura. We were taking a huge risk thinking that we all could hide our gifts from the rest just so we could stay where we were." He shook his head and sighed. "All for the sake of a patch of dirt and a few memories. If anything _we _should be seeking _your_ forgiveness. It should not have taken something like this to make us see clearly." There was a ringing sound from downstairs. "Aww, dinner is ready. Would you like to join us downstairs, or would you prefer to stay up here for a while longer?"

"If it is okay with you, I would prefer to stay up here. I do not think I can face everyone just yet."

"Okay honey, I'll bring you some food."

Sakura bowed her head once again. "Thank you." Fujitaka gave her a hug and went to the door to wait for Touya to come out. Touya stood up after hugging her and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead then followed Fujitaka out the door. Sakura had to smile at that. Her brother had never been that affectionate, but it did help make her feel a little better. 

*

Sakura's dreams were troubled that night. At one point she woke up panting and in cold sweat because of a particularly vivid dream that replayed the part where Arman was about to swing the sword towards her neck. She lay awake until her breathing returned to its normal rate before she got up to look out the window. She hadn't been to her grandfather's for a very long time, but it was the same as she remembered. She use to play hide and seek with Touya when they were younger and she used to always win because the garden's were so vast and she had been so small. The moonlight glinted off the surface of the small lake to the East. It was her favourite spot. It brought a small smile to her face to remember that Touya used to get so angry with her whenever she decided to go for a swim, fully clothed. Touya was supposed to be looking after her so he would always get in trouble for 'letting her do it'. Sakura wished in vain that she could go back to how it was then. Back to when she was so happy and carefree. Back to when Imar was safe. Back to the days before she had met Blaine. 

She had been so naïve. At first she had been so happy to make a new friend. As much as she loved the spirits, her friends and her gifts, there was still a part of her that longed for a 'normal' life. Meiling and Tomoyo had really gotten into magic, especially when Sakura was capturing the cards. She had been so young and needed all the help she could get. But even after all the cards had been caught and then changed, they did not stop learning new spells. Sakura had always been with them when they practiced. She was the one that kept them in line and stopped them if they ever tried something out of their league, but Sakura had never really wanted to learn anything new. She had been content with what she had and felt that she did not have to learn anymore. Because of this, she always felt a little put out, but never spoke up because it was of her own doing. And then she had met Blaine. A sweet handsome boy that had nothing to do with magic and the closest thing to a 'normal' life that she could get. It was a relief. An escape for her and for a time everything was good and she was happy. She knew one day that she would have to tell him, especially when they started to get close, but she kept putting it off. She was so afraid of what he might say and that he might leave her. She should have realised that the longer she put it off, the worse it would be, especially when their relationship became serious. When they realised they loved each other.

Sakura sighed and allowed a lone tear to trickle down her cheek. Tomoyo's parents had been the first to come up to talk to her, then it was Meiling's. They had both said the same thing. 'We do not blame you, it was not your fault, we should have left sooner, when we first heard of Arman's feelings of magic and the people that use it.' Sakura could see that they were sincere, that they truly felt that way, but it did not stop Sakura feeling the guilt herself. She should not have kept her gifts from Blaine for so long, should not have allowed their relationship to progress so far. Perhaps if she had told him earlier, so when he would reject her it would not hurt so much, would not cause so many problems for everyone else. Perhaps if she had not been involved with Blaine, Arman he would never have found out, and she could be back in Imar, happily watching as her friends tried to turn Kero an attractive shade of green. Though Arman is the sort of person that would have found out one way or another, perhaps it could have happened differently. Sakura and her friends might not have had to leave in such a rush, deserting the homes and the land that they had worked so hard on and all the things that held so many precious memories. 

Sakura sat back on her bed and starred at the fire, hugging her knees. Her grandfather had come in earlier, and they had talked briefly. Usually he would be so happy and full of smiles, but Sakura's sadness was like an infection. But it had always been like that. Her grandfather used to always say that she could brighten a room with her smile, that people couldn't help but be happy if she was, couldn't help feeling what she felt. Once again, Sakura felt the cold stab of guilt. It was her fault. It was all her fault. She had brought this upon herself, and to those she cared about. She was selfish to make others suffer with her. 

By dawn she had made up her mind. 

*

It was late morning when Touya went upstairs and into the room Sakura was staying. "Good morning, Sakura! How are you feeli-Sakura?" He paused and looked around the room. The bed was made and the nightdress she had been wearing was folded neatly on the covers. The curtains were billowing in front of the open window. "EVERYONE GET UP HERE _NOW_!" 

Meiling and Tomoyo were the first to arrive. "Touya, what is with all the yelling? You almost scared us to death."

His expression was frozen as he stared at the room. "Sakura's gone."

"What?"

"_WHAT?_" Fujitaka were standing in the doorway. Tomoyo and Meiling stepped back a bit. They had never seen Fujitaka look like that ever before. "She's gone. So has Kero. I came in to see how she was doing and found the room like this…I think she ran away."

There was a gasp from Meiling's parents. Tomoyo's mother Sonomi, who considered Sakura as a second daughter, started to shake from head to toe. "No…why would she do that? We assured her we didn't blame her for what happened…" She buried her head in her husband's shoulder as he tried to comfort her. 

"Wait…what is that?"

Everyone turned to Meiling, who was looking at something by the doorway. No one had seen it as they had walked in. She bent down and picked it up. It was an envelope. The only thing written on it was Sakura's signature in black ink on the back of the envelope. "It must have blown over here in the wind…Look, there is a leather pouch on the table." Touya walked over in picked it up. It chinked softly as he opened it up. "It's full of coins…this is Sakura's…" 

"What does the letter say." Fujitaka's face was white, but his expression was unreadable. 

Meiling pulled the pages out of the envelope and went to the window to read it in the light. 

"To my dear friends and family,

Though you do not blame me for the events that have taken place, I still feel responsible for all that has happened. I was selfish to think that I could continue to live two lives. One life was with you, my friends, and my family and in the magic that is part of us all. The other life was with Blaine. Please believe me when I say that I love you all, but a part of me longed for a life without hiding, without secrets, without the magic that is both a blessing and a curse. For me, Blaine was my escape. He did not possess magic, and did not talk about it. I despise myself for feeling this way but I can not deny how I feel any longer. Blaine and I were very close, and I became afraid that I would lose him if I ever told him the truth. He was the Duke's son, I knew the risk I was taking, but I was selfish and continued the charade. If I had told him sooner, before we had become so close, then perhaps he would have left me sooner, before everything became so complicated.

It is my fault and I only hope that one day you will forgive me. I do not wish to cause you any more trouble, so I have decided to leave. Though I wish that I could stay with all of you, this town…it is too close. I can still feel him close by. A mere two days journey is not enough. 

I am truly sorry for all the misfortune my selfishness has caused. I have taken Father's spare carriage and Touya's horse, as well as a few provisions for the journey. You will find compensation for all I have taken in the leather pouch. Please do not grieve for me, I believe that this is for the best. You will always be in my thoughts and in my heart.

Keep safe and farewell.

Blessed Be.

Sakura Kinomoto" 

There was a loud thump as Touya punched a wall. "She can't do this!"

"She felt she had no choice." Fujitaka sat on the bed and picked up the nightgown she had been wearing. It had originally been Nadeshiko's. He clutched it in his hands and stared at it as though in a trance. "Sakura was so much like her mother. She would always think of others above herself, and if she ever felt that she was being selfish, she felt wrong, like she was doing something bad. The guilt she must be feeling…it must be unbearable for her."

"We've got to find her, bring her back!" Touya was looking half-mad. "We can't just sit here and let her just go like this!" 

Fujitaka shook his head sadly. "No…but we must."

"What do you mean '_no_'. Father, listen to yourself! You're saying you want her to leave us?"

Meiling's father put a hand on Touya's shoulder. "Please try to understand, Touya. He doesn't want her to go, none of us do. But it's…it's the right thing to do."

Touya was looking positively livid by now. "_HOW IS SAKURA LEAVING US THE RIGHT THING TO DO?!_" 

Fujitaka stood up and faced his son. "I think she needs to do it for herself. You heard what she wrote. She was confused. On one hand she loved her gifts, but on the other, she longed for a life without all of that. But there is nothing she can do about her gifts. She was born with them, and born into a life she did not choose herself. She needs to find where she belongs, somewhere that she can make her own decisions without us to influence her. We mean well, but we all try and push her to be like us whether we realise it or not."

"But she is only 16, she is too young." 

Meiling's mother shook her head. "Her age is just a number. You should know more than anyone, Touya, that she is old enough to take responsibility of herself."

Touya looked around frantic, but it seemed he was the only one not willing to accept the truth. "But…but…she is just a girl."

Sonomi, though sad, was still able to give Touya an icy expression. "You will do well to remember that that notion does not exist in this family, Touya." Her expression softened as Touya nodded reluctantly and sank onto the bed. She sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We know you don't want to accept it, but it is for the best, for _Sakura_…We must do what is best for her." 

When Touya looked up, his eyes were red, you could see he was fighting the tears. "But I don't _want_ her to leave. She'll be by herself…I don't want her to be alone. You know how she hates to be alone…"

"He's right…" Everyone turned to Tomoyo. "We need to find her…"

Touya looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. "But I thought that we all agreed on letting her go, why are we suddenly talking about bringing her back?"

Meiling glanced at Tomoyo before answering Touya's questions for her. "We are not talking about bringing her back, but it would be best if we kept an eye on her. She is vulnerable at the moment. Someone could take advantage of her."

Tomoyo nodded. "We are her closest friends. At some point she is going to need us, and I want to be around when that happens."

Touya stood up immediately and went to the door. "Then we will make preparations at once. She could not have gone that far."

*

Once the sun had set, the night had crept in and turned the land dark and cold, but Sakura had lit a fire, which kept her small campsite within a warm glow of flickering firelight. Touya's horse, 'horse', he had never been very inventive with animal names, was dozing by the carriage, warm under his own blanket. Sakura was sitting on a log she had dragged into the clearing. She was talking to Kero, who was curled up in front of the fire, as well as the Firey spirit, who was sitting once again in the flames. "Are you sure? I was positive it was Thunder that had freed me…"

Firey shook her head. "None of us could do much of anything after you had freed us from the cards. We still get some of our power from you, but we now seem to get it from around us too. We were weakened because of those shackles, and so we had to wait until we gathered enough strength. We did not have enough strength to do anything until the next day." Kero nodded and said. "It was the same me. When you released the cards, it affected me as well. I have only managed to change back to my true form since this morning."

"But it could not have been a coincidence…The lightning hit the exact place that the shackles were secured…"

"Then it was not a coincidence. It looks like you have a guardian angel." Kero smirked slightly. "That is, besides me of course." 

Sakura's lip twitched up in a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile. "Perhaps…then I suppose that my other guardian angel must have helped Meiling and Tomoyo. I must say, I forgot how frightening they could be. Tomoyo hasn't shown her other self for a long time…and I never knew Meiling could change into such a large beast."

"Speaking of Meiling and Tomoyo…" Sakura, Firey and Kero turned to the trees, where the Wood spirit had appeared. "They are coming this way."

"What?" Sakura looked slightly panicked. "But I did not want them to find me…they can't take me back…I-I made up my mind…"

"Do not panic, Mistress, they are not here to take you back. They are your friends, and they do not want to see you hurt. I believe they wish to join you." 

Before Sakura had a chance to do much of anything, Meiling and Tomoyo rode through the trees and stopped. At first no one did anything but look at each other, but that did not last for long. Tomoyo looked straight at Sakura with her most strict expression and said "Don't you think that you can get away from us that easily, Sakura Kinomoto. As your friends we understand that you need to find where you belong, but as your friends we must come with you, to make sure you don't get yourself into too much trouble. And…because of many other reasons that I am sure I will think of at some point in time."

Meiling looked over at Tomoyo, "Do not bother with finding excuses," She looked back at Sakura, her stare just as unwavering as Tomoyo's, "We are going with you whether you like it or not. Even if that means that we have to follow from a distance." 

Sakura did not say anything. She stared at her feet and said in a low toneless voice. "I don't want you to leave your families just because of my problems." 

Kero, who had been silently watching the exchange, spoke up. "Sakura, there would have come a time when you would have left home anyway, you always talked about it. As for your families, they understand." Tomoyo nodded. "That's right," Her expression softened. "Though they wish it could have happened a better way, they understand and they respect your decision."

She slipped out of the saddle and brushed off her hands. "Now, let us all get a good nights rest. We have much travelling to do." She tied the reins of her horse to a tree branch before she started to remove the saddle. "Before my mother and father moved to Imar to be with friends and to have me, they lived in the Villaar Forest. It was where my mother was born. My father built a cottage in the forest to live, it was where they met, and later lived together. It is a long way away. It will take several months to get there, but it is well hidden and well protected."

Sakura still had not looked up, but she was listening and spoke up. "It sounds nice."

Meiling nodded as she slipped off her horse. "Then it is decided, we will journey to Villaar forest. To start off anew."

Sakura nodded slowly, as she stared off into the distance. "Yes, a fresh start…" 

*

__

Several months later…

It was early morning, the sun had barely left the horizon but though the early hour, there was none the less movement in the small town. A young lady with long lavender coloured hair stepped out of a store and towards the carriage and horses waiting patiently across the lane. She thanked the man as he handed her some packages before he walked back into his store. After placing the packages in a trunk at the back of the carriage, the young lady stepped up onto the front of the carriage and picked up the reins, then waited. A few seconds later a crow that had been circling overhead, flew down and through the open window of the carriage door. 

A young lady with black hair and ruby red eyes stepped out a moment later and joined the lady at the reins. Rubbing her hands together to warm them up, Meiling looked around. "So where is Sakura?"

Tomoyo frowned slightly. "She was with me in the general store, but she went out when the man said he didn't know where the forest was. He has just arrived in town himself about a week ago and is not familiar with the surroundings."

"How long ago was that?"

Tomoyo bit her lip and looked towards the horizon. "Well, when she left I had a look outside and it was still quite dark…"

"And it is now quite light and she is not back yet…"

Both were silent for a second. They both turned to look at the general store, then to the only other building that was open at such an early hour. The Starling Inn.

Tomoyo blinked. "Oh dear…"

Meiling sighed and hopped off the carriage. "Let us pray that no one has annoyed her too much…she is so trying nowadays when she is irritated." 

The inn was mostly empty save for a few people having breakfast in the back corner. Sakura was sitting at a table, consulting a map with owner of the inn, or _trying_ to, as it seemed. A man, a few good years older than Sakura, was trying to strike up a conversation. Sakura's back was to the door as Meiling and Tomoyo stepped in, so she did not see them. The owner pointed something out on the map and said something, at which Sakura nodded. She rolled up the map and thanked the owner, who walked off to go about his business. Sakura, ignoring the other man, went about packing up the map and a few of her purchases. "You know, I can take you there if you would like m'lady. I'm sure a pretty young lady like yourself will feel a lot safer if she is with an escort. And besides, the directions that he gave you are sketchy. I do not want you to get lost."

Sakura, not even bothering to look at the man, replied coolly. "I am sure you do not. I thank you for your concern, but the directions I received are clear and I am sure I will be able to follow then correctly." The man frowned slightly and tried again. "But m'lady, I am only looking out for your welfare, I could not bare to let anything bad happen to such a fair maiden such as yourself."

Meiling shook her head and said in a low quiet voice. "Oh no…can you see it? Her eye is twitching, you remember last time what happened when someone made her eye twitch." 

Tomoyo frowned slightly as she watched what happened. "Oh we don't have to worry, she wouldn't do something in public…" She blinked, her expression slightly worried. "Would she?"

Meiling blinked. "Maybe when she was younger she wouldn't…but this is older Sakura…and would you consider this public?"

Tomoyo looked thoughtful for a second. She opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut. After a second she said, "No, we should not be thinking the worst of her. Just wait, she will stand up and walk out any second now…"

Sakura didn't walk out. Nor did she stand up. Or more correctly, the man doting attention on her wouldn't let her walk out _or_ stand up. He was standing slightly over her, so that if she wanted to get up, she would have to be in his face. Sakura had a very wide personal space that she did not like intruded on by people she did not know or trust. "Please m'lady, I mean you no harm or disrespect," he smiled, possibly showing a few more teeth than was really necessary for a 'kind smile', "like I said, I am just concerned for your safety. Ask anyone. I am someone who you can trust. In fact, that couple over there knows me, ask them-" The man turned to the people eating breakfast in the corner and was about to call out when Sakura suddenly turned to face his back and put a finger to her lips. "Shhhhhhhh…"

Meiling and Tomoyo glanced at each other, then at the man who suddenly seemed to lose his voice. "Oh dear…"

The man looked panicked. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He turned around and looked at Sakura, who smiled and waved, as Meiling and Tomoyo grabbed her by the arms and dragged her outside. 

"_Sakura! How many times do we have to tell you? You do not use magic on people in broad daylight!_"

Sakura tried to look innocent. "Who said anything about using magic? I just 'shh'd' him…it is not my fault if he took me seriously. And besides…he was annoying me…and it will wear off…"

Tomoyo rubbed her temples. "Look, can we just get moving?" She consulted the map that Sakura handed to her as she got up to the front of the carriage and picked up the reins. Meiling and Sakura stepped inside, still bickering and closed the carriage door. A second later another voice joined them as the carriage moved on. "What did you do now?"

"_Me?_ Why are you looking at _me_? I'm not the one who used the spirit of Silence to stop someone from talking to me…"

Sakura's voice, sounding irritable, replied. "You know as well as I do Meiling, that he deserved it. And besides, now he probably won't try and follow us."

Meiling scoffed "_Probably_? Oh that is very reassuring. He _probably _won't follow us and he _probably_ won't tell all his friends about the three strange females that are _probably _witches and they _probably_ won't hunt us down and try to burn us all into du-". There was a pointed cough from Kero, followed by a short silence, before Meiling once again spoke up. "What I mean by 'burn us all' is-"

Sakura sighed. "Do not bother Meiling, I know what you mean. You do not have to skip around the subject anymore. What happened in the past happened. There is nothing any of us can do about it." 

From the seat out front Tomoyo glanced back at the now silent cabin before she turned her attention back to the map and the road ahead. They were less than a day journey away from the next town, which sat on the outskirts of the Villaar Forest. She said in a sigh as the scenery slowly went past, "Home sweet home…"

*

It was dark as they entered an old under-used track into the forest. Tomoyo sat up a little to try and see better through the darkness, but the lamps on the carriage did little to push back the darkness. "Sakura, if you would be so kind as to help us out, it would be much appreciated." There was silence in the cabin, then Sakura pushed back a curtain covering the window on the cabin door and poked her head out. She closed her eyes and said. "Oh Spirit of the light. I ask of you to aid us in our travels. Dispel the shadows; guide us through the darkness. I beseech thee." Tomoyo and Meiling immediately shielded their eyes as a bright white light flared up around Sakura, then died down. When they dropped their hands, a small ball of light, enough to illuminate the carriage and much of the path in front of them was floating above the two horses pulling the carriage. Sakura disappeared back inside without saying anything else as Tomoyo thanked her. 

It was about an hour later when Tomoyo pulled the carriage to a stop. "The path we are supposed to take should be around here somewhere…what was it that the wren said?"

Meiling frowned slightly as she recalled the memory. "She said that if we follow the main trail for about an hour, we should come up to a tree that has a branch curled like a corkscrew." She looked around. "Do you see any tree's that have corkscrew shaped branches?" 

"No…no I do not…" She hopped off the seat and walked past the horses, her eyes on the trees along the path. As she stepped towards the edge of the circle of light, a small ball of light from the glowing sphere above the horse's head broke off and followed her. She hadn't gone very far when the small glow ball illuminated a tree with a branch like a corkscrew a few metres ahead. "Oh, there it is…" Meiling frowned as she hopped down and joined Tomoyo at the forest edge. "But where is the path?"

Tomoyo waved her dismissively as she stepped into the undergrowth. "Oh mother would have hidden it when they left. She _is_ a Dryad after all. This was the forest she used to protect back when it could not fend for itself. She would have wanted to protect their home from outsiders. We just have to find it."

Meiling looked skeptical. Sakura poked her head out the carriage window. "Why have we stopped?"

"Tomoyo can't find the path we are supposed to take. Or we are lost and she is just trying make us believe that she knows what she is doing." 

Tomoyo stood up and gave Meiling a slightly dark look before bending down to poke through the underbrush. "Look what we have here…why I think it looks like a path…" Her hand started to glow a faint green colour, as small darker green lines started to appear on her lower arms, like tattoos. The plants rustled around her outstretched hand then pulled back to reveal a narrow path through the trees. Smiling with self-satisfaction, Tomoyo walked back to the carriage and hopped up. Meiling joined her as the horses were urged forward and onto the newly revealed path. "Oh, get that smug look off your face…"

The cottage was old and in much need of a _lot_ of tender loving care. The vines covering the walls were old and brown. The windows were dusty and the door was hanging by only one hinge. The three ladies and Kero stood in the overgrown garden and regarded their new home. Kero was the first to speak up. "Well…it's…"His mouth opened and closed for a while before he found an appropriate word. "Nice."

Meiling, whose expression did little to hide her distaste, "Yes…nice. Real" She circled her hand in the air, "rustic…"

Tomoyo put her hands on her hips. "I admit it needs a little work, but show some respect for the house my father built with his own two bare hands."

"I think it's wonderful."

Everyone turned to look at Sakura. She was gazing at it quiet lovingly. Tomoyo smiled and pointed at Sakura. "There see, now she appreciates good property when she sees it." 

Meiling threw her hands up. "Okay, I take it back, it's absolutely exquisite." 

"Well, you don't have to go that far. Now, let's get to work."

Sakura walked over to the carriage and pulled a pouch out from the trunk on the back. "I'll go and check to make sure all the protective spells are still stable." She pulled out a dimly glowing white quartz crystal pendant and slipped it around her neck. "Is that okay with you three?"

Kero nodded "Sure Sakura, just don't take too long, and don't wander off to far okay?"

She nodded as she walked off into the woods, a small section of the glow sphere now following her. "Don't fret, I won't, Kero…"

When she had gone Meiling and Tomoyo glanced at each other. "Do you think it is such a good idea to let her check the protection spells around this place? Surely they will need fixing after all this time…and you know how…creative she can be with that type of thing." 

"Just because she put a spell around the carriage so that anyone trying to rob us would briefly be terrified of their own shadow, does not mean she is going to do the same thing here. Besides," Tomoyo reasoned, "I distinctly remember both of you finding it highly amusing when someone actually tried to rob us."

Kero snickered. "It _was_ pretty funny when that big man with the missing ear started to cry…" 

Tomoyo smiled slightly, going serious once again. "Even so, whatever she decides to do, it is for our own good. Now let's get on with things shall we, Meiling?"

Meiling, already starting towards the house replied, "On it…" pushed open the door. She looked around and went down on all fours, before promptly changing into a small black furred, ruby eyed fox. Her puffy black tail with the grey-white tuft at the end disappeared inside as Kero floated in behind her. Tomoyo walked up to the wall and put her hand to the aged ivy that covered the house and closed her eyes. Like it had before, her hand glowed green and the ivy-like tattoos began to appear on her arm, but it didn't just stop there. Before long, her whole body was glowing and though you could not see it for her clothing, the tattoos had appeared on every inch of her skin. Her ears lengthened until they resembled a leaf-like shape and her hair unwound itself from the bun she had tied it in, and dropped to rest on her back, small white flowers now dotting it's length. The old dead vines started to crack and crumble to the ground as new, green vines took their place. The sound of cracking branches and the rustle of leaves could soon be heard throughout the small cottage as the old and withered made way for the new. 

Meiling trotted outside, followed by a few rabbits and another fox, this one the normal reddish colour, just as Tomoyo was finishing up. She stood back and brushed her hands off as her skin returned to its normal colour and her ears shrank back into normal human shape. "There, much better." Aside from the door that still hung on it's hinges, and the fact that the floors were still quite covered in dirt and dust, the house itself looked almost like it had never been vacant. The ivy covering the walls were dotted with small white flowers and the gardens out the front looked neat and well tended. Meiling nodded in approval. "Nice work. It was pretty overrun inside."

"Why thank you. My mother said that there was a green house out the back. Is it still standing?"

Meiling nodded as she turned back into a human. "Yes, it is. I think your parents put a spell around that too…it was overrun but the glass was not broken or anything. I couldn't get in before but the plants should have shrunk by now." She looked towards the forest. "Hasn't Sakura come back yet? She needs to clean out all the dirt so we can move all our things in…"

Tomoyo shook her head. "Not yet, she should be back soon though, oh, here she comes now."

The small ball of light could be seen weaving its way through the forest, closely followed by Sakura. She looked up as she approached the cottage. "Oh, that looks beautiful Tomoyo…"

"Why thank you very much, Sakura."

There was a load sneeze from inside the house as Kero came floating out the door. He was completely covered in dust. "Oh good, you're back. If you would be so kind, would you do something about the dirt and the dust? It's absolutely everywhere…"

Sakura pulled off the pendant she was wearing and placed it back in the pouch. She walked up to the front door and closed her eyes. "Spirit of Erase, wash away the grime, the dirt and the dust, erase the signs of absence in this house. Make it as it once was. I beseech thee." A small wind started to blow around Sakura as a faint ring of light appeared on the floor around her. A distant sound of a woman's giggling could be heard as a ghostlike figure in checkered clothing rose up from the ring of light. She smiled at Sakura and curtseyed before turning to the house and flying through the door. A few seconds later the light and the wind around Sakura had died down and as for the dirt on the floors, they were so clean they almost shone. Sakura opened her eyes and looked around. "Let's get our things unpacked." 

*

The old man sat back and puffed on his pipe. "That happened four years ago." The lady that had been crying before was staring into the fire. "My God, that poor girl. She was staring death right in the face…she went through so much heartache, yet she seems to have come out quite all right, even after all that happened. If that had happened to _me_, I would be an angry bitter woman."

"Do not think that she has not changed at all from the day she almost died. She may act all right in front of her trusted friends, but as for anyone else…" The old man trailed off. 

"I think I see what you mean. She only allows her true self to be shown in front of her friends. For everyone else, she just…shuts off." 

There was a murmur of agreement from the group before another young lady, who had been looking thoughtful for sometime now, looked up. "Am I right in saying that before, she never used her magic against other people?"

The old man shook his head. "That is not entirely true. Think of it more that she would rather find another solution than resorting to magic. She loved and hated her gift. It was something that she was born with. She had no other choice in the matter. Before, she was very reluctant to use the cards. She preferred to do things the usual non-magic way. Even after all she went through to catch and change the cards, she was not really willing to accept her responsibilities as the card mistress. She believed that if she hid her gifts, and did not use them unless she really had to, then they would not dictate her life, and she could be as normal as the other girls in town. But it is not something she could ignore forever. It is her fate, and she realizes that now. She has strengthened much from that day, but in doing so has lost much of her innocence. She is no longer so naïve, and as I said before, she no longer believes in love."

The man to your right shakes his head. "The poor girl. And to think she had to leave everything behind. Did she ever see her family again?"

The old man nodded. "That she did, a few years ago they came seeking her, but they could not convince her to return with them. Though she was not as happy as she had been before the incident with Blaine, she was still happy enough with her new life. She felt safe. Being away with her friends had allowed her to forget the past, put the memories of Blaine behind her and move on with her life." The old man puffed on his pipe again. "Or so she says."

You quirk an eyebrow. "So she says? She still feels for him? Even after all he did to her?"

The man gives you a sidelong glance before looking back at the lady who had come seeking help with her one-sided relationship. "You know what I am talking about don't you?"

She nods as she stares into the fire. "You can tell yourself each and every day that it is over, that you do not feel the way about the other like you used to, but there is always a part of you…that will never let go. He was her first love. Something like that you never forget. It stays with you, even when you try and push it away…but you never truly forget."

"She denies it, even when she wakes up in the night crying because of the dreams she has of the past."

"Will she ever love someone again?"

"Perhaps, if she ever happens to find someone who can get through to her. When she is willing, perhaps then it will happen. Fate works in mysterious ways. Some say though our destinies are already written, it is up to us to choose the paths we take to get there. No one is meant to be alone, perhaps she is just taking the scenic route to find the one for her." He sits back against the tree and taps out the tobacco from his pipe into the fire. "Whatever happens to her is yet to happen. We shall have to wait and see what is in store for our young mistress of the Earthly spirits." 

**

Well, that's the end of the prolugue introduction chapter thingy. Now I can got on with things D…I've already started work on the next chappie, so it should be out soon. Righto, better get on with things shall I? 

Ciao!!

StarDragon 


	3. In Light it Devours

****

Blessed Be

Ahh, _now _I can start to have a little _fun_…**evil cackle** 

This is the main story starting now, no more crazy old guy with the pipe. So, sit back and enjoy…(I don't own a single CCS related thing) 

Oh and before I forget…THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO etc. etc. to every person who reviewed. Even though I have a tendency to forget to mention it at the start of the chapter I _really_ do appreciate it, more than you know, and an especially big thank you to Bunni, who once again helped whip this chappy into shape.

Anywho, thanks **_HEAPS_** once again and let's get on with things… 

****

Chapter Three: In Light it Devours

__

From Darkness it came…

A strange stillness fell over the valley and the house nestled within. Crisp, newly fallen snow, untouched by man or beast alike, glistened in the light of a gibbous moon. Though in the dead of winter, and the time now approaching midnight, the calm was eerie, unnatural. It was not a silence caused by the lack of creatures moving, or the lack of a breeze that would cause a rustling through the trees. It was as though sound itself had been taken. Normally, on a calm night such as this, you could hear small things. The steady breathing of a child in her bed, the quiet scratching of the mice in the cellar, of the creatures stirring under the snow. But there was no noise; no chance for the girl now lost in her nightmares. 

There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the girl. She did not possess magic; neither did any of her family, living or not. But she could sense it. Creeping towards her through the night, over the snow without leaving a trace of its passing. The girl's face contorted in a look of fear. She opened her mouth to cry out, but no sound escaped her lips. Tossing and turning in her bed, the bed sheets twisting around her body like a restraint, the girl tried to escape the demon she could feel was drawing near. It was coming for her, ever closer through the icy night; coming for her like it had so many others. She was not the first, nor would she be the last. 

It made no noise. 

Left no trace of its existence, but the corpses it left behind. 

None could escape once they were chosen.

It was called Bloody Silence. 

It was closer now, outside her bedroom window shut tight against the cold.

It stopped. 

And waited. 

The girl sat bolt upright, panting. Her wide eyes searched around the room and, after a small hesitation, towards the window. Through the small gap in the curtains she could see nothing but the untouched snow, glistening in the moonlight. A hand to her heart, she tried to calm herself and slow her rapid breathing. 

It had been a nightmare…a horrible, incredibly vivid nightmare, but just a nightmare all the same. She let out a long breath and tried to laugh in a self-reassuring sort of way, when she froze. She felt the panic and fear start to rise again. She clasped a hand to her throat and tried to shout, but just as before when she had tried to laugh, no sound whatsoever came out. She kicked at her bedclothes, now wrapped tightly around her legs, and looked up…and silently screamed. 

The silence remained until morning, when the mother awakened and had gone into her daughter's room, only to find the walls splattered in blood, and the horribly disfigured body of her daughter, still lying in her bed. 

Her scream echoed through the valley, and into the mountains beyond.

And in Light it devours…

*

It was early in the morning, so early that even the birds had yet to awaken. Sakura tilted her head to the side and regarded the sleeping figure in front of her. "Meiling…" She sang in a light voice.

The figure did not make much of a response, except to snort quietly and bury her nose even further into the pillows. Sakura leaned a little closer. "Meiling…it is time to get up…" Meiling finally stirred and peaked open an eye, which focused on Sakura for a second, before flicking over to the open window. "No 'is not, still dark…go 'way…"

Sakura smiled, as though she had been waiting for such a response and grabbed the blankets, giving them a sharp tug. Meiling shrieked and sat up suddenly from the absence of warmth. "SAKURA! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!?"

Sakura neatly folded the sheets and placed them on the end of the four-poster bed. "Because you said so yourself, it is going to rain later today and so we need to get up earlier than usual if we want to get things done. Even Hermand confirmed it."

Meiling tried to cover her feet with her nightdress to get them warm and muttered unhappily, "Yes, well, Hermand is stupid and vindictive and he likes making everything as inconvenient for us as is possible." Sakura just smiled as she walked out of the room and into the other across the hall. "Oh, I don't find this inconvenient at all." She relieved Tomoyo of her bed coverings in much the same fashion as she had Meiling's. After a cheerful 'Good morning Tomoyo', in which was met by incoherent grumbling, she strode out of the bedroom, humming to herself, and made her way towards her own room. Tomoyo, bleary eyed and yawning, joined Meiling in the hall. "Remind me again _why_ we are up before the sun…"

Before Meiling could reply, Sakura's cheerful voice echoed down the hall. "Because we must do our exercises to achieve balance in the mind, body and spirit. And I would like to do that, and everything else we must do today, _before_ it rains."

Meiling groaned and rubbed her face, as Tomoyo yawned again. "Yes, well, as logical as all that sounds, my mind, body and spirit all want to go back to sleep. And I say the majority rules."

Tomoyo blearily smiled. "Here here…"

They both turned towards their separate rooms and stepped forward to go through the doorway...only to come to a sudden halt that suggested they had just walked headlong into a wall. Tomoyo whimpered and rubbed her nose as Meiling muttered something that was _very_ un-ladylike. "Sakura, that is _not_ fair…tell Shield to go away…" Sakura walked back down the hall from her bedroom, now dressed in a loose pair of dark brown pants and a loose cotton, long sleeved shirt, her waist length hair tied in a thick messy plait. Meiling grimaced at her far too cheerful expression. "Just so we are clear, my mind, body and spirit all hate you right now."

"And I shall remember that when you start complaining that your magic is off-balanced. Now ladies, get dressed. One cannot do their exercises properly if one is still dressed in their night clothes." Tomoyo and Meiling groaned as they reluctantly walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where their clothing was drying in front of the fire, having been washed just the previous evening. Tomoyo stifled another yawn. "I remember a time when a giant rampaging flying spirit, reeking havoc right outside her window could not get Sakura out of bed this early. I told you it was a bad idea to show her that book." 

The book in question was one that belonged to Meiling's once vast and powerful family. It was passed down from generation to generation and included knowledge, history, rituals and spells, prayers and training exercises that the members of the family, or rather, clan, must perform. It had been passed onto Meiling when she left home, and so was honor bound to carry out the ancient traditions. Though Tomoyo and Sakura were not of the Li clan, Meiling firmly sustained that they _were_ family, and allowed them to read and carry out the various traditions and so forth that she was required. Everything from morning exercises, to the sacred spells a clan member must perform as a show of respect to the ancient Earthly Spirits. Sakura had thought it quite cute that the Earthly Spirits in question were actually _her_ Earthly Spirits. 

Clow Reed, the original creator and Master of the spirits and, of course, the cards they had been kept in, was whom the Li family descended from. 

Meiling crossed her arms over her chest and replied, "Yes, but I wasn't the one who encouraged her by making her a special outfit, specifically _for_ training in. Which," She added with a raised forefinger, "is possibly _the_ most unfeminine outfit I have ever seen you stitch together. So do not push the blame onto _me_, dear sister."

Tomoyo, gazing into the mirror, answered as her hair did itself up into a tight pair of plaits that wound themselves up into secure buns on the side of her head, "Well, she could not very well do any of the exercises in her dresses. They would have been ruined." She glanced at the reflection of Meiling in the mirror. "And you remember she refused outright to wear what your clan deems appropriate." Meiling looked down at the outfit she was holding. It basically consisted of two pieces of clothing, one worn over the other. The layer on top had extremely long sleeves and intricate patterns sewn all over, but as for the rest, it was rather short by the current standards. Though shorts were worn underneath, it was still quite revealing. Many ladies thought it scandalous to even allow their calves to show, let alone any area above the knees. It did not bother Meiling in the least though. The shortness of the skirt and the shorts underneath were required for freedom of movement, and as for the exercises themselves, they were actually supposed to be practiced _away_ from prying eyes, such as in a special training room. In their case, the forest surrounding their house was a perfect place for it. Even so, Sakura refused to wear anything other than the long sleeved shirt and loose pants Tomoyo had happily obliged in making for her. 

Tomoyo herself had made an outfit that was more of a cross between what Meiling wore, and what Sakura wore. Her sleeves were long, not as long as Meiling's perhaps, and sewn with designs just as intricate as the ones on Meiling's. She had gone with the skirt just as short as Meiling's, but wore long pants underneath instead of shorts. 

Sakura appeared from a back room carrying three swords, which she placed gently onto the big table in the centre of the room. 

Meiling and Tomoyo both sighed. "Oh please Sakura, do we have to use swords today? We are running low of healing herbs, and I do not particularly find it very appealing to have to go searching for them while I bleed a slow and painful death."

Sakura gave Meiling and slightly dark look as she unsheathed a sword with a plain silver handle and examined the length of the blade in the light of the few candles she had lit. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about _my dear_," Meiling and Tomoyo quickly exchanged looks, "as you well know, I have been practicing quite a lot lately, and have improved vastly from when we last did this particular exercise." Meiling threw her hands up in defeat, "Okay okay, I will go get changed so we can start." As she walked off down the hall, Sakura heard her mutter something that sounded very much like 'And I shall pray that they will not be my death shrouds.' 

Sakura shook her head and turned around. Tomoyo had since changed and was picking up a sword, one with a slightly more intricate silver handle than the one Sakura had picked up, and was buffing the blade with a piece of cloth. "Have you seen Kero anywhere yet? He was not in my room when I awoke this morning." Tomoyo put down the cloth, apparently satisfied with the gleam of her blade and shook her head once, then paused when her eyes focused on something behind Sakura. She smiled as Sakura turned around. "And yet he denies it so vehemently whenever he thinks we have seen them being social." 

Sakura had to smile at this. Curled up on one of the cushy chairs around the fire, were Kero and their three cats, Meeko, Anya and Chi, all fast asleep. The three female cats had taken a liking to Kero the second they had met him and seemed to regard him as some sort of leader. Kero, of course, denied his fondness of the three cats profusely and often stated that he could not stand the 'walking furballs', though never when they were actually around. 

Sakura smiled at the scene before heading to the door and shielding her eyes from the early morning light as she stepped outside. "I am going to start warming up. I will meet you two in the clearing." As Tomoyo stifled yet another yawn and nodded, Sakura vanished from the doorway and could just be seen in the darkness making her way down a thin path through the forest. Tomoyo placed the sword back on the table and picked up a candle, before going over to a shelf to examine a few of the jars as she waited for Meiling. She picked up one that contained a strange liquid that had small air bubbles rising from the bottom. She prized off the lid and gave it a sniff, then apparently satisfied with the smell, secured the lid and picked up another jar, this one almost empty and containing dried herbs. 

A gruff male voice broke the silence. "You'll be wanting to gather more healing herbs, I feel we are going to need quite a lot soon." Tomoyo turned towards the source of the noise, her face not showing any surprise that someone male was talking to her. The room contained a wide fireplace on one wall, surrounded by the three cushy chairs, a stone sink below the window that showed a view of the front garden, and a large wood table towards the centre. A deep black cauldron suspended on chains from the ceiling, with a fire pit underneath, was in the far corner near another window. The remaining walls were covered in shelves that contained anything from candles, to books, to jars full of strange liquids, herbs, and occasionally, things that distinctly looked animal. Other than all that, there was no one else in sight. Her eyes landed on mantel above the fireplace. Sitting on a black stone pedestal carved with images of curled snakes, was a human skull. Its eye sockets glowed with faint orange light as its jaw moved to speak once again. "I have seen into the future and believe me when I say-" He stopped suddenly what he was saying as the light in his eye sockets flared and glowed blue. When he next spoke his voice carried an accent that he previously did not speak with. "-How you eat an Oreo. First you twist it, then you lick it…then you dunk it…" Tomoyo's eyebrows crinkled in a concerned look as Meiling strode in, resplendent in her training robes. She saw Tomoyo's expression, and then looked towards the skull, whose eye sockets flared once again and returned to the normal orange colour. The skull resumed what he had been saying before he had broken off, apparently unaware that he had just been talking about something neither of the ladies understood. "-that you are going to thank me for the advice." He seemed to be regarding the looks the two ladies were giving him. "What?" 

Meiling shook her head and unsheathed the last sword; this one almost identical in design to Sakura's except for the leather wrapped around the hilt, and replied as she made her way past the table to the door. "I am never going to forgive that shaman. I gave him my strongest protection talisman and look what he gave me for it." She glanced at the skull currently giving her a glare that he managed to pull across quite effectively, given the lack of skin and muscles one normally needs to make such an expression. "A skull that is supposed to help with precognition, yet only occasionally ever sees anything useful of what is to come, the rest he just babbles complete nonsense." She frowned, "What is an 'Oreo' anyway?" 

Tomoyo shrugged. "I am not sure. It sounded rather barbaric if you ask me. It was talking about twisting and dunking…perhaps a new type of torture device?"

The skull did not seem pleased with the way the two women were talking about him. "Oh ho, yes, we all mock Hermand for his predictions, yet whenever things get really hairy, what do you do? You come to _me_, pleading to show you a way to get out of the messes you put yourselves in." Tomoyo sighed as Meiling rolled her eyes. "Look Hermand, we would love to stay here and chat all day with you, but even _you _could accurately predict what sort of mood Sakura would be in if we dawdle any longer." 

They went for the door and were just stepping out when Hermand called out. "_Fine_, leave me then, _ignore_ my help. But when Sakura and that man-" Tomoyo stopped so abruptly in the doorway that Meiling crashed straight into her back. She stepped back rubbing her nose and muttering. "Ouch Tomoyo…You do know it is polite to warn someone when you are about to do something like that, don't you? " But Tomoyo wasn't listening. She was staring fixated at Hermand, who didn't seem to have noticed the sudden avid attention. "-come around and find you all out of healing herbs, don't come crying to _me._"

"Hermand, what did you mean about Sakura and that man?"

This just seemed to irk the skull even more. "See? _See? _Didn't I tell you? Already you're asking for my help! Didn't I just finish telling you both that-" Meiling tugged at Tomoyo's arm, "Oh just ignore him Tomoyo. You know he is just trying to work you up. Sakura would rather stick her head in a bee's hive than willingly bring a man here. She said so herself." Tomoyo reluctantly turned away from the still ranting skull and stepped out into the dark yard. "I suppose. Come on, we better go, otherwise Sakura will get in a temper and she can never concentrate properly when she is in a temper." 

They walked off down the path that Sakura had taken recently, Meiling absently swinging her sword around in her grip. "Still, wouldn't it be funny if he was right…"

*

"Ouch"

"Oh, stop your complaining, at least you can see out of both eyes."

"Yes, well, at least you can feel your knee caps."

Sakura sighed and walked back into the kitchen, followed by Meiling and Tomoyo, both of which were sporting a number of colourful bruises. Meiling scowled at Sakura and reached for a jar on a shelf, which contained a thick dark green paste. "And I don't know what you are sighing about, this is all your fault, Miss 'I have been practicing quite a lot lately'."

Sakura looked indignant. "Well I have, and as I recall I never touched your skin with my blade. I was very much in control."

Meiling started to smear some of the paste over her black and swollen eye. "Oh, silly me for forgetting. It wasn't your sword that hit me, it was your elbow…"

Kero floated up between them and smiled at Sakura. "Ah, so you have improved then?"

As Sakura was giving Kero a dirty look, Tomoyo added as she eased herself into a chair. "From what I saw, you _have_ actually improved Sakura. You almost beat Meiling this time, if you hadn't of slipped and elbowed her in the face that is."

Kero chuckled then asked. "So, what happened to you?"

Tomoyo took the jar off of Meiling and started to spread the paste onto her slightly swollen knees. "Well, I had wanted to improve on my sneaking skills and was waiting to ambush one of them. I saw an opportunity, was about to leap gracefully from the tree I was hiding in when my pant leg got snagged. I ended up falling out of the tree." She grimaced then sighed as the paste started to reduce the swelling. "Thankfully, my knee caps broke my fall." 

After the paste did its work, and the three had gotten changed, they settle down for a much-needed breakfast, as the sunlight started to peak over the horizon, sending shafts of light through the trees. It was quiet as they sat and ate, until Meiling, having gotten up to fetch some water from the pump, happened to glance at the bowl Sakura was eating out of. "Well, now that is interesting…"

Sakura paused, a spoonful of oatmeal hovering near her mouth, as Meiling leaned over and looked at the contents as if she was expecting it to do something interesting.

"_Hmmm_…"

Sakura could barely hide her scowl. "Look, I know you are really getting into all this divination business, but do we have to do this every meal?"

Meiling merely glanced at her, but didn't answer, as Tomoyo and Kero leaned in to better see what was happening. 

Meiling 'hmmm'd again then, without taking her eyes of the bowl, she pointed to a bookshelf on the far wall and said. "Book."

Immediately, a thick, dusty book hovered off the shelf and into Meiling's awaiting hand. Sakura sighed and puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes. 

"Ahh I thought so…" Meiling looked up at Sakura with an odd twinkle in her eyes. "You will meet the man that you are fated to be with soon…" She grinned. "And he's a handsome one too."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow and glanced at her bowl, then back up to Meiling. "You know, I really worry about you Meiling, if your definition of handsome is 'he has a face like a bowl full of soggy oatmeal.'"

Tomoyo, watching all this with a look of interest on her face, tried to suppress a laugh. Meiling rolled her eyes and snapped the book shut. "How many times do I have to tell you? What I see is _beyond_ the actual meal."

"Yes, but that is _all_ you have been telling me since you first read that book. That is all you ever predict."

Tomoyo, her head propped on her hands spoke up. "She is right you know. You have been saying that for weeks and so far all the men Sakura has met, she has scared off."

"I do not scare them off. They should know better than to treat me like an inferior."

Meiling and Tomoyo rolled their eyes only slightly, so that Sakura couldn't see it. Sakura did not trust very many people, least of all men, which she seemed to think were out just to make her life more difficult. Though they never spoke of it, and would never bring it up, for Sakura's sake, they both knew it was due to what happened between Blaine and her. She had never gotten over it, even when she says so otherwise. Meiling sighed and sent the book back to the shelf with a flick of her wrist and sat back down to finish her own breakfast. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just don't like to see you by yourself Sakura."

Sakura smiled slightly. "But I'm not by myself. I have all of you don't I?"

"That is not what I meant and you know it."

Sakura looked back down at her bowl and started eating, her tone going flat. "I know what you meant." It was her way of saying that she wanted to drop the subject. 

They did not speak for a while, until they had finished eating and were planning what they needed to do for the rest of the day.

Tomoyo chewed on the end of her quill as she consulted a list. "Okay, most of this we need to get from town…but someone needs to go gather some more herbs. The jar _is_ getting low and I think we should stock up so it can be dried properly before we use it. I have a feeling we are going to need it." Ignoring Hermand's offended 'Ha!' she continued. "Do you want to go into town Sakura?" 

She shook her head and smiled slightly. "No, you two go ahead. I feel like a nice stroll today. That is, if the rain holds off."

Meiling glanced out the window and arched an eyebrow. "Good luck." A breeze had picked up, and rain clouds had already started to gather over the forest. 

"I will be fine. And I will take my cloak in case I do not get back before it rains. But you two should hurry. You have further to go than I do." 

Tomoyo wrote something on her list, then rolled it up, and stowed it down her sleeve. "You're right. Come Meiling, we should get moving." She turned to Kero, who was curled up in front of the fire again. "Would you like to come too Kero? You can hide in my cloak again."

He stretched languidly and smiled. "No, I'm good. You ladies take care of yourselves, okay?"

Meiling snorted as she stepped outside. "Of course we will. When have we done otherwise?" Sakura helped them to harness the horses onto the carriage and waved them off as they disappeared through the trees. As she stepped back inside, two of their three cats streaked out the door. Chi, the one with pitch black fur, and Anya, a fluffy ginger coloured one, both belonging to Tomoyo and Meiling respectively, bounded off and disappeared into the trees, as Meeko, Sakura's own, strolled over and sat at her feet. Meeko, a smoky blue colour, blinked once slowly, then got up and rubbed past Sakura's ankle as she walked idly out the yard. Sakura watched her disappear into the trees, before turning and going back inside. The cats were their familiars. They had a sixth sense about things, had their own way of communicating and had some precognitive abilities. Even when Meiling, who had the strange ability to turn into any animal or creature she wanted to, became a cat, she couldn't sense the sort of things that Anya, Chi and Meeko could. Sakura walked briskly into her room and retrieved her cloak, a dark green one with silver threading that had belonged to her mother and slipped it on. When she came back into the kitchen, Kero looked up. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura picked up a small cane basket as she answered. "I'm not sure. Anya and Chi just went to follow Tomoyo and Meiling, but Meeko seems to think something is going to happen today."

Kero looked slightly concerned. "Anything worrying? Do you want me to come with you?"

Sakura glanced at Hermand. The glowing orange light in his eye sockets had narrowed to thin slits, which meant he was sleeping. Usually if he felt something bad was going to happen, he would be either insulting someone or grumbling about how much he was unappreciated. As much as he was unpredictable, and as much as Meiling complained that she had gotten the raw end of the deal, he was useful and did often get some accurate predictions. His complete lack of movement convinced Sakura that if something were going to happen, it would be well within her capabilities to handle. She looked back over at Kero and shook her head. "No, I will be fine." She walked to the door. "I should not be too long. Have a good day Kero."

Kero yawned and stretched, before curling back into a ball. "I will. Bye Sakura." 

And with that, Sakura pulled the door shut and strolled out into the forest, looking ready for a nice leisurely stroll through the forest. 

*

Not too far away, on the outskirts of the forest the ladies lived in, the occupants of a large farm were just waking up. The fields surrounding the house glistened with dewdrops as small birds twitted and swooped over the short grass. Horses were grazing in the largest paddock; a few were inside a tall airy stable off to the side of the house. A window opened on the top floor of the homestead, the long white curtains stirring as someone moved around behind. A hand pulled them aside then drew back in, but a moment later a leg stuck out and felt around for the roof below. A second leg followed suit and soon the rest of a young girl, around the age of 8 with long dark brown hair and eyes, had emerged onto the rooftop. She tugged the skirt of her nightdress up a little and tied a knot so that the skirt wasn't swirling around her legs anymore. Grinning to herself, she crept along to a thick branch closest to the roof she was standing on and carefully stepped onto it. Apart from the leaves swishing gently as she moved along the branch, she made no obvious sound. She got to about the middle of the branch she was on and sat down, only to jump down gracefully onto the branch below it. She crouched, waiting for the branch she was on to stop shaking, and tightened the knot in her skirt, making sure it had not come loose. 

She glanced over her shoulder to the stable across the lawn, then turned back and crept along the branch, back towards the house and a window that was directly below the one she had come out of. Grinning a little more widely to herself, she stepped onto the ledge of the lower window and slowly pried one side open with her fingertips. The window made no sound as it swung open and the girl had to suppress a giggle as rhythmic snores filled the once quiet air. She carefully stepped through the curtains and dropped with the silence and grace of a cat into a bedroom. She paused to make sure that the sleeping occupant of the room had not awoken, the grin returning to her face as a loud racking snore tore through the silence. 

She stood up and crept towards the bed. The man sleeping in it looked to be in his early twenties. His short blue hair was a mess from sleep and a foot was dangling from under the covers. The girl hesitated for a second, giving the uncovered foot a long calculating look, before she shook her head and crept carefully on. When she was by his torso she stopped and crouched, looking as though she was about to leap forward and grinned rather evilly. She took a deep breath and bellowed, "**_RISE AND SHINE BIG BROTHER!!!"_**

There was a loud snort, followed by an 'oof' as the little girl launched herself at the torso of the now startled and very much wide-awake man. There was a thump from the room next door and the sound of pounding feet. The door swung open and in stepped another man, looking to be about the age of the one now apparently having trouble breathing on the bed. The little girl squealed and leapt off the hyperventilating one, tackling the other man with a hug so forcefully that he stepped back a few steps before he got his balance. "Good morning to you too, Isaac!"

Isaac pried his little sister off his torso and picked her up. She squealed as he tossed her onto his shoulder and strode into the room, depositing her rather unceremoniously onto the bed of her other brother, Eriol, who was putting on his glasses. She sat up and grinned at them both. Isaac sighed and ruffled her hair, as Eriol crossed his arms and gave her a completely unconvincing stern look. "How many times have I told you to come down the stairs and wake me up gently, like a normal person would, instead of bellowing at me?" 

The little girl looked at Eriol with a cute innocent expression. "But if I come by the stairs, you always wake up when the floor in the hallway squeaks." Eriol gave her an even more unconvincing dirty look. She grinned back. "Come here you…" She squealed once again and tried to make a run for it but was not fast enough. Eriol grabbed her in a bear hug and started to tickle her sides. She was giggling hysterically and trying to beg him to stop but Eriol just grinned and pretended he couldn't hear what she was saying. Isaac chuckled and shook his head, his messy dark brown hair falling across his eyes. There was another squeal as Eriol handed Isaac a foot. "Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to help me?" Isaac grinned and soon the squealing and high-pitched giggling was so loud that it carried across into the stable that the man and woman were working in. 

The man shook his head and placed the pitchfork against the wall as the woman brushed her hands on her apron. 

The man had the same dark brown hair as his Isaac and Mia, the little girl, but his eyes were dark blue; Isaac and Mia had inherited the brown eye colour from their mother. Eriol did not resemble his two parents in the least, but that was due to the fact that they had found him, at the young age of three, lost, alone and injured. His parents had been killed in an accident into town; he had been the only survivor. Jenna and Geoffory Jameson had adopted him. Jenna sighed as a second high-pitched squeal broke the serenity of the morning. "I see Mia has given our boys one of her famous 'wake up greetings' again. Perhaps we should intervene before one of them breaks something."

There was a distant sound of breaking china, followed by a brief silence, before the giggling started up again. Loud thumps could be heard between the laughter; it sounded as though Eriol and Isaac were now chasing Mia through the house. Geoffory chuckled as Jenna shook her head and rolled her eyes sky-high.

When they made it inside the giggling was still going on, but not quite as hysterically as before. They made there way up to the second floor and peaked in Eriol's bedroom. The boys looked exhausted. Eriol was sprawled on the bed, too tired even to stop Mia, who was happily plaiting his hair. As for Isaac, he was sitting on the floor up against the wall trying to catch his breath. Geoffory smirked. "So, now that everyone is awake, I think we should all start getting our chores done." This request was met by groans of protest from the boys, but Mia sat up straight, dropping a lock of badly plaited hair. "Ooh no! Not yet!"

"Why not?" 

She grinned and clapped her hands. "Guess!"

Eriol and Isaac glanced at each other before replying simultaneously. "Guess what?"

"What I have to tell you of course!"

"Why can't you just tell us?" Mia pouted and looked around at the faces of her brothers, then to her parents. She slumped defeated onto the pillows. "Okay _fine_, don't let me have any fun." Eriol snorted in a way that suggested that her entering his room via tree and window fell right into her category of 'fun'. She stuck her tongue out at him, in which he responded by pointing to Isaac and mouthing 'It was him.' She giggled and clasped her hands together. "Okay I'll tell you. I had a dream that Syaoran was coming back!" She giggled and clapped her hands together again in glee. "Yay! My other big brother is returning today!"

Her mother and father looked rather shocked, not by the fact that their daughter seemed to be precognitive, but by the news she had delivered. Jenna put a hand to her mouth in slight shock. "He is coming back?" Mia nodded. 

"Today?" Mia nodded again. "Yes! I had one of those precognotty-"

"Precognitive" Eriol patiently corrected her. 

She nodded. "One of those. I could tell because I always see a firebird at the start and this time it was eating potatoes. Anyway, I saw Syaoran and he was riding through the forest near the old cottage-"

"Near the cottage? But that path has not been used for years, long before Syaoran left. Well, at least I don't think anyone uses it anymore. Surely he would use the main route." 

Mia shook her head. "No, he was definitely using the cottage one." She frowned. "Why doesn't anyone use the cottage one?"

Geoffory leaned against the doorframe as he answered. "There was a story going around that it was haunted or protected by something. I don't know if there was any truth behind the rumours, but for years people kept telling me stories about ghosts and demons and other creatures like that roaming the area. Not many people were willing to use it, even after the rumours stopped. It just became habit to go the longer way. I think it will probably be pretty over run by now, though I haven't actually seen it myself. I heard that a man by the name of… something Daidoji built the cottage. The path led up to it, then off towards the bridge over the Chrysal River. It is about half a day shorter to travel down it than the one we use now."

"No one lives there now though, do they?" Asked Jenna, as she sat down on the edge of Eriol's bed.

"Not as far as I am aware. I think everyone is too scared of all the tales about the place to go and check."

Mia hugged her knees and continued. "He was definitely using the one near the cottage. After the firebird finished eating, it flew over the cottage, then further on down the path to Syaoran. Oh!" She sat bolt upright again and grinned. "He talks to a girl too!" Her nose screwed up, "But he wasn't really very nice to her. He calls her a stupid girl and she gets insulted."

Isaac snorted. "You would think he would have learned how to better talk to people from how long he has been away for. What is it now, four years?"

Jenna nodded sadly. "Four years and 3 months. I miss him so much."

Like Eriol, Syaoran was not related by blood to Jenna and Geoffory. He had turned up at their doorstep 4 years after they had found Eriol. He did not speak to anyone and had simply thrust a letter into their hands and had run off. They found him three hours later sitting in a tree in the back paddock, staring blankly at the horses. The hastily written letter was from Syaoran's real mother. She had been the leader of a once powerful, magical clan, most of which lived in a neighboring town. When Isaac was very young, they discovered that he had the strange ability to converse with the horses of the farm, and indeed, as it turned out, any animal he came across. 

Magic was not something you freely talked about. Most people feared it, and some were drastically against it. Isaac's parents were frightened, more for the safety of their son and sought help from Yelan Li, the leader, rumoured to have powerful magic. Yelan took them in and helped them and the two families became good friends. When a horrible disease broke out in the town that Yelan lived, which none of the current medicines seemed to be effective against, it was thought that the Li clan themselves had spread it. Many believed the clan to be 'evil' just because they did magic. 

Fear and hysteria spread even faster than the disease and soon the whole town was against the clan. The clan resisted the angry townspeople without any fatalities on either side. They tried to help the sick but were pushed away. The towns people would not accept the help of the people they thought responsible for the outbreak in the first place. But one day, one person went too far, and mercilessly killed one of Yelan's daughters because he had heard a false rumour that said she was possessing children's minds and sending them nightmares. 

Yelan Li and the clan were understandably outraged and a war between them, and the people of the town that blamed them, broke out. The Li clan, though possessing powerful magic and all masters in the art of combat, were horribly outnumbered. The Li clan was devastated. Most of them fled the town. Yelan Li knew there was a price on her head, being the leader and did not want her three remaining daughters and her only son to be in danger, so she ran, planning to send them away to separate places. If they had been kept together, they would have been spotted too easily. Syaoran carried a fairly close resemblance to Jenna and Geoffory, so he could easily pass as another son of theirs. She dropped him at their doorstep, leaving the letter that explained everything, and fled. 

Syaoran was seven at the time. He had seen so much blood spilt, and so much devastation. He was a very smart boy and knew she had no choice, but that knowledge did not make it hurt any less. He had not heard from her since then. Because of this, Syaoran at first did not speak to anyone. He kept to himself and would shut himself in his room and not come out. It took them three years to break him out of his shell of depression. He still had the haunted look of a boy that had to grow up too fast, and he could be as stubborn and pig-headed as a mule, though no one was quite sure whether that was due to his past or whether it was just him. He did, however, have a soft spot deep down, which became readily evident when Mia was born. 

Jenna had always wanted a daughter after having Isaac but when Eriol came along, and then Syaoran, it was difficult keeping track of three growing boys without the prospect of another mouth to feed. But as the boys grew up and were able to take care of themselves, she once again felt a longing for another child, or more specifically, a daughter. She was overjoyed when her little girl was born. Though Mia was so much younger than her brothers, they all loved her very much, and would do anything to protect her. 

When Mia was born, Syaoran had at first withdrawn back into his shell. Jenna suspected that Mia had reminded him of the older sisters, which it was obvious he loved very much and the arrival of a new little girl brought back some painful memories of the family that he had lost. Then one night, out of the blue, they found Syaoran dozing in a chair by the fire, Mia asleep in his arms, snuggled up against him. It was quite a shock for everyone, considering that up until that day, Syaoran barely acknowledged her existence. 

It took quite a stubborn person to act as though they could not hear a wailing baby, or not flinch when food, toys and eating utensils were constantly thrown at their head.

About four years ago, Syaoran had heard a traveler talking in the local inn about a lady he had met in a town far away. This lady, the man described, was a teacher at the school and had just recently had her second child. But the thing that got Syaoran's attention was when the man described a birthmark that the lady had on her right wrist. 'I'd never seen anything like it,' the man said, 'unusual, shaped almost like a crescent moon.' Syaoran's head had snapped up. His second eldest sister, Fuutie, had a birthmark just like that. So, after approaching the man and getting the details of where this lady lived, Syaoran decided to go on a quest to find what was left of his family.

Jenna and Geoffory loved him as though he was their own and did not want him to leave, but they knew he needed to do this. So, with the promise that he would one-day return, Syaoran had set off.

Eriol, tugging fruitlessly at the messy lump that was supposed to be a plait, asked, "So, when is he supposed to be arriving?"

Mia screwed up her eyebrows in thought. "Well, it was hard to tell, it was dark, but that was just because it was raining." Isaac tugged back a curtain and peaked out the window. "There are rain clouds coming this way, pretty quickly too. Wee, "He turned back from the window, "He could be here soon then."

Jenna was ringing her hands. "Well, that does not give me much time to clean things up. Oh, I hope he still remembers us. Do you think he found his family? I hope he did, it would mean so much to him." Geoffery took her hands as she had started to clench her apron, looking like she was going to rip it in her anxiety. "Stop fretting, Jenna, darling. If he is finally returning to us, I am sure it means that he found them." He coaxed her towards the door. "Now come, we have many chores to do. Those horses in the stable cannot feed themselves." 

"Oh" Jenna suddenly stopped. "Food! Syaoran must be hungry if he has been riding all day. I must make some food so he can eat as soon as he gets home." And with that she walked down the stairs, muttering recipes to herself. Geoffory shook his head and followed her as Eriol said. "I think one of us should keep an eye on her, before we have more food than we know what to do with."

"Ooh! I'll go help her!" Mia jumped up and was about to run out the door when Isaac spoke up. "Mia, did you recognize the girl Syaoran was talking to?"

She paused in the doorway and considered this. "I think it was Miss Tomoyo and Miss Meiling's friend, the one that hardly ever talks or smiles to anyone when they are selling fruits at market."

"Oh, you mean Miss Sakura."

Mai nodded. "I'm pretty sure it was her."

Isaac snorted, "Then it is no wonder that she got insulted. I heard that girl has a bit of a temper."

Eriol raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that?"

"Miss Meiling did, I believe."

Eriol's lip twitched into a small grin. "Did she now?"

Isaac glared at his brother. "Do not give me that look Eriol. You have had your eye on Miss Tomoyo ever since they first started selling produce at market. And besides, Meiling was just explaining that Sakura was just glaring at people like that because someone had provoked her earlier and that it was nothing personal. We were just making friendly conversation. I have never spoken to her out of the market place."

Eriol looked unconvinced. "Is that so?"

Isaac blushed hotly. "Yes, it is! Have _you_ ever seen them around town otherwise?"

Eriol took of his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt. "Not often, no, but _that_ is none of our business."

Mia frowned. "You two are so stupid." They both looked at her and frowned. She smiled and skipped out the door. "I am going to go help cook." And with that she disappeared down the hall.

The two brothers got up and followed her towards the kitchen, still bickering with each other. "Oh, you can act all the gentlemen, but I saw you watching Miss Tomoyo one evening to see where she was going."

"So? I was just…concerned for her safety. It was late and she seemed to be by herself." Eriol eyed Isaac. "Which, it turned out, she wasn't. I remember you informed me quite happily that Miss Meiling had joined her."

Mia watched her two brothers as they sat down. Still bickering, they started to eat the breakfast that had been placed on the table. She shook her head and went back to her work, stirring the cake mixture in the bowl. She could not wait until Syaoran returned. It had been far too long since he had left.

*

The man with brown hair, long enough to tie in a ponytail, and dark brown eyes, sighed and tugged at the reins to slow his horse 'Wolf', to a stop. She whickered and tossed her head as he pulled a worn map out of the saddlebag and consulted it. He had just crossed the bridge over the Chrysal River, when it had started to drizzle. He looked up from the map and scowled. It started to rain harder, so he clicked his tongue and lightly nudged Wolf in the sides. She walked off the main path and into the shelter of the trees. Syaoran traced his finger down the line that showed the main road, his mouth moving as he calculated how long it would take him to reach home. He frowned. It would take the rest of the day to ride there, in the steadily worsening rain. That plan not sounding very inviting, he wiped a few stray raindrops off the map and followed another line, this one cutting straight through the centre of the forest, and taking half the time as the main road. He remembered all the tales he had heard before he left home, about the cottage down the forest trail, that was supposed to be haunted or something. There was no real proof of it, but old tales diehard and it had become a tradition just to use the main road that skirted the forest and followed the path of the river. 

The path should have been long over grown by now; having not been used for so long, but Syaoran had learned a thing or two on his travels. One such thing was a magic compass that he could conjure and would show you which way was north. So with the map and the small glowing circle on the back of his hand (which had on it a thin arrow of light pointing out which way was North.), Syaoran urged his horse into a trot and started to weave his way through the trees, following as best he could, the path on the map. 

The forest was eerie and dark, but that had not bothered Syaoran. He never was really bothered by things like that. Stories and myths were just that, made up tales to frighten people, or to chase away boredom on calm night. And besides, if any of it was real, he was sure he could handle it. His mother had taught him well, before she had to flee and he had learned much on his travels. Still, he was looking forward to being home. He missed his adoptive family very much, especially his little sister Mia. She wouldn't stop crying when he left. He sighed and shook his head, water droplets spraying from his hair. 

After a little while, he noticed that a dirt path had started to appear beneath the foliage, but what was most strange about it was the fact that it looked well used. He turned around and looked at the way he had come. Besides the broken branches and crushed grass, there was no actual path that he had followed, yet, a few yards ahead of him, a clear dirt path could be seen. He hopped off his horse and knelt down it the place where the leaves and small bushes stopped and the path began. He lifted a few of the branches and frowned as he saw the dirt path continue underneath. "That's strange," he mumbled to himself as he shuffled along the ground, revealing more hidden path as he went. "This path looks like it has been used recently, but why has all the plants on top not been crushed…" He stood and scratched his head. "Maybe there is more truth to those stories than I think…" Shrugging, he hoisted himself back into the saddle and guided his horse along the now revealed dirt track. 

He was checking the map again when an animal-like cry echoed through the trees. Whatever made the noise, sounded in deep pain. Wolf snorted and danced on the spot a bit, looking nervous. 

Syaoran patted her on the neck and tried to calm his horse. "Shh Wolf…calm down…" He frowned and looked through the trees into the distance. "It sounded like it was hurt…" Syaoran snorted in an annoyed fashion. From what he could remember, some of the men in town felt that laying traps in the morning, then coming back in the afternoon to see what they had caught, was considered hunting. Half the time they didn't get anything, the rest it wasn't even what they were trying to catch. And whatever was caught was left in immense pain, it's leg caught in steel traps, as it waited out its fate. In Syaoran's opinion, if you were going to hunt, do it properly. Find exactly what you were looking for and make it as quick and as painless as possible and only taking what you need to survive. These brain dead buffoons, in Syaoran's opinion, were lazy and relied on barbaric tools to do the work for them. 

Syaoran tucked the map back into the saddle bag and shook his hand; the glowing circle on his wrist fading until it went out, before pulling Wolf off the recently found dirt path and off towards the direction that the sound had come from. He supposed he should put the poor creature out of its suffering before the men returned to check their traps. 

He hadn't gone far when he heard the pain filled howl again. It was quite high pitched, and sounded like a fox. Syaoran urged his horse to go a little faster. He had not gone far when he found the trap in question. It was empty, but there was blood, and a lot of it, on the sharp metal teeth. The creature must have escaped somehow. Syaoran's eyes followed the trail of blood as it wound through the underbrush. It hadn't been long since he had heard the first cry of pain, so he suspected that it could not have gone far. He kicked Wolf into a light trot and guided her through the trees, ignoring the rain now falling heavy enough to break through the thick canopy of leaves. 

After a while of fruitless searching, in which time the rain had started to wash away the trail of blood, Syaoran felt as though he should just give up, when he heard something, crashing through the trees and bushes. It sounded too big for a fox and when he stopped Wolf so he could hear more clearly, it didn't sound like any animal that walked on four legs. Syaoran slid out of the saddle and started to walk, leading Wolf by the reins. The sound of running was getting closer. He frowned, and stepped passed a tall bush and "OOOMMPFF!"

Someone collided with him, dropping the small basket full of leaves and green herbs they were carrying and was about to fall backwards when he grabbed their arm and prevented them from doing so. The figure, a young lady, was wearing a long dark green cloak that had intricate designs sewn with silver thread along the sleeves and hem, under which was worn a long sleeved dark maroon dress. She was struggling to pry his hands of her arm. "Let _go_ of me, you barbarian."

Syaoran blinked as she wrenched her arm from his grip and rubbed the spot he had held. She glared at him, her green eyes flashing with anger. 

Syaoran momentarily stunned, suddenly remembered his manners. "I am terribly sorry Miss, I did not see you coming."

"Well, that was obvious," Her voice did little to hide her hostility, "Next time, why don't you try looking with your eyes."

Syaoran's patience, which he usually had in abundance, quickly got to the end of its tether. It had been a long journey, his back ached from hours spent in a saddle and he had not had a proper meal for as long as he could remember. He did not want to deal with a short-tempered girl as well. "Look, I said I was sorry." His eyes flicked over to something on her cheek, partially hidden by the hood of the cloak she was wearing. He frowned, looking concerned "Wait, you're cheek, it's bleeding." He reached up to push the hood back to get a better look at the cut, when she backed away, a look of utmost loathing and something else he couldn't quite catch flashing in her eyes. "_Do not touch me, boorish pig."_

Syaoran froze and looked at her in shock as she stooped down and picked up the basket, not bothering to scoop up the things that had fallen out. She straightened up, gave him another dark look, before turning on her heal and stalking off. He scowled and yelled after her. "I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU, YOU STUPID GIRL!"

She stopped so suddenly that she skidded slightly on the wet soil. She spun around fast, causing her soaked and heavy skirts and cloak to flare out. And the look she was now giving him, Syaoran would not at all be surprised if he suddenly turned to stone. He had a quick thought that maybe the 'stupid girl' comment had struck a nerve, she was clearly around his age, when she hissed back. 

"I am _not_ a stupid girl, and _I do **not, **and never will, need help from the likes of **you**_."

With that she turned on her heal once again and stalked quickly through the forest and out of sight. Syaoran stood there a little stunned and did not move until Wolf came up behind him and nudged him in the back. He turned and scratched her cheek, before pulling himself back up into the saddle. The scowl returned to his face. "What a rude little-" Wolf snorted before he could get the word out. "Hmmf, if everyone is going to act like that when I try to help them, then I probably shouldn't even bother…"

*

Mia sat high in the tree that grew near the wide front gate of their farm. She was quite sheltered from the now pouring rain, as the branch she was sitting on had a thick bough directly above it, and was craning her neck to try and see further through the downpour. "Come on big brother, where are you…" It was past midday, and Mia had gotten bored of watching her mother pace around the kitchen fretting. Isaac, Eriol and their father had given up trying to coax Jenna into doing something else to keep her mind occupied, and were currently busy working in the stables. As for Mia, she had finished all of her chores, and still being a little small to handle some of the things her brothers and father were doing, had retreated to the tree she was now in to watch for Syaoran. But now she was getting impatient. 

She was only four when he left, and it had upset her terribly when he had gone away. She knew he was coming back today, so where was he? She crossed her arms and pouted as she gazed up into the canopy of the tree. She liked this spot. It had a good view of things, but other than that, it was not particularly interesting. She sighed and looked back down the road, and froze. 

A horse was approaching. She felt the excitement bubble up in her belly as she stood up, almost forgetting to duck to avoid the low branch above her head. As the horse drew near, her excitement sank into worry. The horse, though laden with parcels, had no rider. A thousand thoughts raced through her head, none of which where very comforting; this being one of the times her vivid imagination did not come in handy. She started to make her way down the tree, back to earth, landing with a splash in a muddy puddle at the base of the tree. She scowled, but didn't bother to try and wipe the mud off her skirt, when a deep voice spoke up right behind her. "You know, Mother is going to have a fit when she finds your nice dress all muddy like that." 

Mia screamed and spun around then screamed again. And then she burst into tears. 

Syaoran blinked. This had not been the welcome home greeting he had envisioned. He was about to say something when Mia, balling her eyes out, latched onto his stomach and hugged him so tight it felt like she was going to crack his spine. "YOU'RE NOT ALOUD TO LEAVE EVER AGAIN. DO YOU HERE ME?"

Syaoran smiled and gently pried her off, before picking her up. She sniffled and glared at him. "You said you would be back as soon as you could. Why did you take so long?"

"I had a lot of ground to cover. But I'm back now, so you don't have to look at me like that anymore." The glare didn't waver. Syaoran had to bite back a laugh. Even after all that time apart, she still managed to produce a glare as good as he could. Syaoran grinned. Mia stopped glaring at him and looked at him with apprehension. "Why are you grinning like that?"

"To make you nervous."

Mia looked nervous. "Why?"

"Because I am about to give you a big sloppy kiss on the cheek, and as I recall, you don't like that very much." 

Mia's eyes widened. Syaoran's grin widened to show a few teeth. 

Mia screamed.

When Eriol, Isaac, Geoffory, and Jenna came running down the drive, alerted by Mia's screams, they certainly weren't expecting to see Syaoran planting soppy kisses all over her face. She was screwing up her face and struggling to get out of his arms. "AAAAH! YUCK SYAORAN! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!" Syaoran let out something like an evil cackle, but froze when he saw everyone watching him. He coughed and dropped Mia down so that she was hanging by his side like a sack of potatoes, albeit a struggling sack of potatoes saying 'yuck yuck yuck yuck'. 

"Err, Hello everyone…" 

**

Aww, so sweet it kinda makes you want puke…

Well, this is what you get when I have access to raspberry twisters. 

Anywho, what did you think? Just a few things I'd like to ask. It's generally thought that the title 'Blessed Be' should be changed, (In my opinion it's a wee bit ironic) but my poor brain, so drained from thinking up stuff for each chapter (tiny violinist plays slow sad song on tiny violin) that I just can't think of a good title!! 

Bunni suggested I should mention something about magic in it, considering it is such a strong element in the story…and I was thinking 'Soul Magic'…but you won't know what _that _title has to do with it until much later on…soooo…well, I'm just asking for you're opinion anyway…or if oyu have suggestions…

O, and as for 'Bloody Silence', hands up who's seen 'Orphen'? Okay, now, how many people can guess where I got the inspiration for the name 'Bloody Silence'? **grins** Orphen is so cool…it has dragons…and magic…and and and it's funny…and it has dragons… **grins** I was actually tempted to use the name 'Bloody August' (that's the name of the evil dragon chick in 'Orphen'…) but thought I should be a bit more original than that, hence the name Bloody Silence…though I got an idea later to call it 'Dead Silence'… oh, and in case you're wondering, my beasty, Bloody Silence/Dead Silence is _not_ going to be a dragon…no matter how cool thy actually are… 

Anywho, I think that's it…

Please Review!!

Ciao, StarDragon ^-^ 

Oh…actually, before I forget. There is one loose end I think I should tie up for you. In regards to Meiling Li, her parents moved from the Li clan's main residence a _long_ time before the whole disease fiasco. So she never met Syaoran, he never met her. She and her parents had never been informed of what happened. I might actually mention that later on in the story, but I thought I'd just clear that up for you to reduce any confusion. I _had_ actaully considered just having her last name as 'Rae' (oh stop twitching), because at first I didn't think I could work in the fact that she and Syaroan had the same surname. But _then_ I had an idea where I _could_ work it in, so hence I changed it from Rae to Li before I posted the last chapter. (Her surname is mentioned in the beginning of the last chapter) So there you go… 


	4. Flaming Hemorrhoids

****

Blessed Be

*snickers at chapter title* I was considering changing that, but I couldn't really think of anything else to use as a chappie title…It doesn't have very much to do with the chapter at all actually (you'll see), I just thought it was funny. Anywho, I finally got done the next chapterino for your reading enjoyment, so chop chop and get reading!! 

Not much in terms of story progress happens, but I needed to set up a couple of things, and introduce a number of other characters that play a part later on, oh and I ended it on a…_creepier_ note too (D) so that at least should get your imaginations firing. A few of you have noticed (**Godsgirl7** ^-^) that some of the names I'm using are from various other sources of entertainment (i.e. I'm using names from other animes, as well as from some (a) Nintendo games) I'm not actually using the characters themselves (no 'cameo appearences') I'm just using the names (shakes a finger and glares) so no suing for copyright!! As Godsgirl7 noticed, Jenna, Isaac, (and Mia) are from a totally kick-ass Gameboy advance game called 'Golden Sun' (I'm currently trudging my way through the sequel, 'Golden Sun, the lost age', getting lost and/or stuck constantly. Loads of fun. It has really neato monsters and attacks and stuff. You should check it out if you're into that sort of thing. Anywho, other 'borrowed' names include 'Chi' from Chobits (another of Clamp's creations), Anya from Buffy (weeee! They finally decided to show us the rest of season seven after cutting off halfway through to show repeats!! Gotta love our tv stations and their undying commitment to regularity (in case anyone is confused, I'm being _very very_ sarcastic. #$^$&$ channel 7 always messes around with the timeslots and they KEEP TAKING OFF FUTURAMA! DAMN THEM TO THE FIERY PITS OF HELL!!) oh and the whole 'vengeance witch' thing was kinda borrowed form Anya too (fans of Buffy will know she's a vengeance demon) but I thought I'd make it so it wasn't _too_ much of a rip off…umm, what else…I think that's about it at the moment. Oh, there's 'Eris', from Sinbad, tale of the seven seas or whatever it's called. She's the Goddess of Doom or something. (My mythology is a little rusty) but I liked the name, so I used it. UUUUUMMMMM…* scratches head and pokes through reviews * 

Oh yeah, speaking of reviews…**_THANK YOU ALL SO VERY VERY VERY MUCH FOR REVIEWING!!_** (see, you're so special to me that the thank you is not only in capitals, but it's bolded, italicized _and_ underlined ^-^ ^o^ ^-^)

Thanks once again to bunni for editing this chapter quick smart (I think I made her happy because I didn't leave so many 'it's' when it's supposed to be 'its' in this time (or vice versa, I forget)). *grins sheepishly* I've never been one for good grammar. Usually I just ignore it (my spell check and I have an ongoing battle with what _it_ thinks should be written, and what _I_ think should be written….Mainly in the spelling department. I don't have the version where it does Australian spelling…so you'll notice some words where I've used an 's' instead of a 'z', or added a 'u' where there shouldn't be. That's just the way we spell it over here. In any case, it's constantly picking up on my 'bad spelling' and I get annoyed and end up just ignoring it. (sorry bout that bunni-chan!!) Oh and **wicherwill** noticed that sometimes I put in the wrong word that sounds the same but means a completely different thing (there's a word for that, but I really can't be stuffed looking it up). That's mainly due to how I write. Sometimes I pick up on it, but sometimes I don't, and because the spelling isn't wrong, the spell check doesn't pick it up…I've noticed lately that I've been putting 'through' instead of 'threw' a lot actually. I don't really know why, but I always write it first as 'through'…very strange…I'm just weird I s'pose. (Oh, and as for your other question, the way they speak (lack of contractions, more 'proper old englishy',) _is_ on purpose. It's actually really frustrating. I keep wanting to do 'don't's instead of 'do not's!! But I wanted to keep the language to go with the time line. It's fun in a way too, because you can get pretty inventive with the insults… D 

Anywho, once again, thanks hhheeeeeeeaaaaapppppssss to everyone who reviewed. ^-^ 

And I don't own anything, so let's get on with things!! 

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Chapter Four: Flaming Hemorrhoids 

"Ooh, that-that…_man…."_ Sakura tugged at the edge of her soaking cloak to free it from the branch it had snagged on. "And now I have lost the trail." She flinched as she touched the scratch on her cheek. When she had heard the cry of the fox, she had run in its direction, but in her haste had slipped on the rain soaked leaves of the forest floor, a sharp branch grazing her cheek as she fell into a nearby bush. And _then_ she had to run into that man, and because of the delay, the trail of blood she had been following had been washed away by the steady downfall. And she had dropped all the herbs she had gathered. She wiped the blood off her cheek with a handkerchief before tucking it back into her pocket, then bit her lip and looked around. She paused and looked up at the sound of a 'meow'. Meeko was sitting on a branch of the tree, watching her with her lamp like eyes. She blinked slowly. 

Sakura sighed slowly and dropped her head, her feeling of annoyance ebbing away. Meeko had found the fox and was waiting patiently for Sakura to follow. Leaping gracefully from the branch, Meeko landed just in front of Sakura and trotted off into the rain. The rain never bothered cats like Meeko, Anya and Chi. It had something to do with being familiars. It wasn't that they had the ability to avoid the rain, it was more that the rain just avoided _them_. Sakura, now soaked to the bone and freezing, briefly wished for the same sort of courtesy as she followed behind. 

She hadn't gone far, when Meeko stopped and sat down and turned her head to look back. Sakura stopped next to her and grimaced. They had found the fox, or more accurately, what was left of it, but so had a pair of ravens. Sakura made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and muttered. "And so revolves the great and gruesome circle of life…ugghhh…"

Meeko made a small noise before walking on, passing the ravens and the fox carcass with the barest of glances before disappearing through a thicket. A little confused, Sakura followed, making sure to keep her eyes on the bushes and trees and not on the feasting birds. She found Meeko seated comfortably on a large tangle of roots at the base of an old tree. She was about to inquire just _why _she had been brought there when a small pair of eyes appeared in a gap in the roots and stared avidly at Sakura. Sakura blinked and stepped forward for a closer look. The eyes disappeared but she could hear scratching and noises come from within the root system. 

Sakura sighed and glanced at Meeko. 

Meeko blinked her lamp like eyes at her and gave her a smug look. 

"Oh aright. Just stay there and keep an eye on them. I will go find Meiling." Sakura knew well enough that you should generally let nature take its course and that you shouldn't meddle, but it was as a direct result of human meddling that the two fox cubs were now without a mother. It wasn't unusual for humans to take in stray or injured wild animals to care for, but though the cause was noble, the animals in question often lost a certain part of them that made them wild. In Meiling's case, however, this was not a problem. Ever since she was very young, when her mother had the misfortune of walking into her daughter's room only to a find a small hedgehog in the bassinet, they found that Meiling had the very unusual ability to change her form into that of any creature she chose. And didn't even have to be animals that she had previously seen, or that even existed. Her appearance was only limited by her imagination. 

So it was for that reason Meiling had, on the occasion, played foster mum for a number of young animals she had found on her wanderings. It was actually quiet amusing. Tomoyo and Sakura wasted no time teasing her about what she actually had to do during feeding time when some of the creatures brought in weren't quite up to solids yet. Still, Meiling wasn't one to crumble under a little light teasing and you could see she took great pride in her efforts.

Sakura was often a little jealous of Meiling; and even Tomoyo, who, like Meiling, was born with a closer bond to the earth than Sakura felt she could ever be able to achieve. Where Meiling was in a way connected to the fauna of the forest, Tomoyo was connected to the flora. After all, her mother _was_ a dryad, a forest nymph. Though Tomoyo's father was human, Tomoyo still inherited a few characteristics from her mother. She could manipulate plants by her will, and she had an innate understanding of all types of plant and their properties; it's what made her potions and elixirs so effective. She couldn't completely change into the form of a tree like her mother could; Sonomi taking on the form of a Peach blossom tree if she ever needed to be inconspicuous, but she could take on a form that was both a little human and a little plant. She looked a little unusual, but on the plus side, if she was ever feeling a little drained, all she had to do was bask in the sun for a while for a little pick-me-up. 

And for some reason or another, her hair seemed to have a mind of it's own. She could control it easily enough; even the most complex hairstyles could be achieved with just a pointed look in a mirror, but often her hair changed by itself if she was feeling particularly emotional. And it could grow its own flowers and leaves etc. as fetching hairpieces too. 

Sakura shivered and sneezed, dragging her from her thoughts. The incessant rain was beginning to take its toll on her. She briefly considered using a magic spell or the help of one of her spirits to keep herself dry, but quickly dismissed the idea. For one thing, if she walked into town completely dry when it was raining so hard that the water flowing from the roofs was like a constant waterfall, it would certainly raise a few questions she did not want to answer. After a bit more consideration, she smiled slightly and made a symbol in the air with her forefinger. 

"_Firilae ristrita!_" Instantly, a feeling of warmth spread through her body until it covered her from head to toe. She was still soaked, but she was now warm, making her feel somewhat like she was walking around within a warm bath. It was a variation on a type of ancient magic that was used by the mythic creatures that existed mainly in the mountains to the east. In their travels, her parents had met many interesting people and creatures and had come to possess many odd books and scrolls that described various different ways to use magic. 

Feeling much better, Sakura continued her trek through the woods until she finally came to the main road. Sticking to the edge of the road, for the middle was now quite slushy and the idea of trudging through the thick mud didn't appeal to Sakura at all, she set off towards town. 

The town was understandably empty due to the weather, so Sakura set off for the general store to see if Tomoyo and Meiling were there when she spotted their carriage in front of the Blacksmiths forge. The sound of metal striking metal could be heard from inside, so Sakura jogged through the rain as fast she could given that her long, far beyond damp skirts had taken to wrapping around her legs, when… "_OOF_!"

She was sent flying backwards, landing in the muddy sludge with a squelch.

"Uggh…this has not been my day…" She mumbled to herself as she grimaced and picked herself up, mud dripping from her arms and legs. Her skirt, as though it wasn't heavy enough before just being wet, now seemed to weigh a ton. She pushed the hood of her cloak back and tried to wipe away some of the mud that had splattered her face. She paused when she caught sight of the person standing in the rain in front of her. She had almost forgotten about them…

Well_, almost_.

With a jolt of annoyance, she realized, by the width of their shoulders and the shape of the jaw; the rest of their face was obscured under a hood, that the person that had sent her flying was a man. He was standing frozen to the spot, in a position that suggested he had been reaching to help her up but didn't quite get there. Sakura gave the frozen stranger a dark withering look. "You know, this is the second time today that someone has literally run into me. Is there a sign, perhaps, that is attached to me somewhere that says 'Hello, my name is Sakura, and I would appreciate it very much if everyone would just bump into me'?" She crossed her arms, her eyebrow raised, giving the man a questioning stare. 

The man, his mouth opened in slight shock, took a step back and, much to Sakura's utter shock and annoyance, turned swiftly on his heel and bolted. Sakura's jaw dropped. "DO NOT RUN AWAY FROM _ME_ WHILE I AM SPEAKING, YOU INSOLENT BOAR!" The man didn't stop at all, and in a second had disappeared through the rain. Sakura huffed and yelled out again. "THE LEAST YOU COULD HAVE DONE WAS APOLOGIZE!" 

Sakura scowled and muttered to herself, "What a rude man…" conveniently ignoring the small, quiet voice in the back of her mind that pointed out that she herself, had not exactly been watching where she was going either, and continued on towards the forge. She looked up suddenly when she realized that the sounds from the forge had ceased completely, and saw a man she didn't recognize watching her. She knew the owner of the forge, and in fact was quite fond of him. 

He and his wife were the first people that they (Tomoyo, Meiling and herself) had met when they first arrived in town all those years ago, and they had become good friends in the time since. His name was Hugo Rickman, but they knew him just as Rickman, as he preferred to be called by his surname rather than by his first. He was married to a lovely woman by the name of Elizabeth. 

The man standing at the forge entrance did not look at all like Rickman, and certainly didn't look like Elizabeth. The man was taller than Rickman, but built in the same way; more stocky than lean. His gray eyes sparkled slightly underneath sweaty bangs of dirty blond hair as he regarded Sakura with a look of amusement. "You know, when my uncle asked that I help out at his forge while he takes care of his wife while she is ill, I never expected to have live entertainment while I worked." 

He grinned; he had a very nice smile in fact, but it was lost on Sakura. She glowered at him as menacingly as she could, a feat she was rather good at considering all the practice she had. He held up his gloved hands in mock surrender and chuckled. "Forgive me m'lady, I was only trying to lighten the mood. You looked about ready to go for that poor gentleman's throat." He stepped back and swept back his hand, inviting her to enter. "Please, come in from the rain m'lady, before you get sick." Sakura hesitated a moment, but she reasoned that she couldn't very well just stand in the rain while she waited for her friends to return, whenever that would actually be. 

The man pulled off his thick leather gloves and placed them on a bench beside him, then placed a hand to his chest and bowed slightly as she entered. "My name is Theo Rickman, m'lady and it is a pleasure to meet you." Sakura's eyes swept over him, momentarily pausing on his arm placed on his chest, on which was a large, shiny scar. Blacksmiths and farriers often bore such scars in their line of work. She blinked and focused on him fully. He was bent in a bow; his face up turned with an expression that suggested he was expecting her to curtsey in return. Sakura gave him a cool look and began to wring out the water from the corner of her cloak. "I am Sakura. Is Meiling and Tomoyo here?" Theo gave her a strange look, as if he was going to chuckle at her somewhat abrupt behaviour, but managed to control himself and replied. "They came by earlier when Chaos over there" he jerked his thumb towards a makeshift stall on the other side of the carriage, where Chaos, Meiling's horse, and Zephyr, who belonged to Tomoyo, were tied, "threw a shoe. They left to go have something to eat before they went to finish buying what they needed. That was a while ago, so they should be back soon." He tilted his head to the side and regarded her soaked and muddy clothing and replied. "You are welcome to wait here, if you would like. I have some spare clothing out the back." His gray eyes sparkled again in mirth. "They are not exactly fit for a lady, but they are at least dry and not covered in mud. I would give you something of Elizabeth's to wear, but she is likely to be asleep and I do not wish to disturb her." 

Sakura wiped at the mud again then dropped the edge of her cloak, giving Theo another very cool expression that could probably have frozen the very fire in the bellows. "I thank you for your offer Mr. Rickman, but I-"

"Please m'lady, call me Theo, and I mean you no harm. I would be remiss in my manners if I allowed you to stand there soaked through as you are. And besides," he added with a grin, "I fear if you stand still for too long, we will not be able to find you, as you will blend in so well with your surroundings." Sakura blinked and looked down at herself. Soaked through and through, her dark green cloak was even darker now than normal, her dress was more brown than maroon and she was splattered from head to toe with mud.

The man certainly had a point.

"Okay Mr. Rick-" She paused as he raised both eyebrows expectantly and smiled, before sighing and continuing, "_Theo, _I will accept your kind offer, if you could show me somewhere private that I may change." 

His slightly crooked grin resurfaced as he once again placed a hand to his chest and bowed. "Certainly m'lady, if you would come this way please." He led her to a room out the back that held spare tools and tack, and after a brief absence, returned carrying a bundle of clothing and a damp cloth. He smiled and bowed once again, and closed the door quietly as he left.

Sakura waited until she could once again hear the steady tapping, indicating that he was once again back at the bellows crafting a horseshoe, and pulled off her cloak with a sigh. It was a relief to finally remove it, being as heavy as it was, soaked and muddy. She dropped the spell she had been using to keep herself warm and used the damp cloth to wipe off the mud on her face, then quickly undressed and pulled on the clothes he had brought for her. They were extremely baggy, especially in the shoulders, but they were at least dry. She pulled the soft belt off of her dress and used it to hold up the dark brown pants. She slipped on the black shirt; it was huge, the short sleeves reached her elbows, and considered briefly what she could use to prevent it from sliding down her slim shoulders. Chewing her lip, she reached behind her and tugged at the ribbon used to tie up her long hair in its messy plait. The ribbon came free, and with it so did the plait, allowing her hair to fall down her back in messy waves. Using a little of her magic, she lengthened the ribbon so that it was now long enough to tie around the sleeves so that the shirt wouldn't slip down. 

Feeling much better now that she was dry, she reached a hand for the door handle, then paused. She pulled back her hand and cradled it as though it was injured, her thumb rubbing gently against her wrist. She remembered the large scar she had seen on Theo's arm. Turning her hand to cradle the other wrist, she whispered, as though she was reciting a quote, "Sometimes, the scars that only exist in the mind, can leave more of a mark than those we bare on our skins…." Shaking off the saddened look, she turned abruptly and dug around in the folds of her cloak, pulling out a pair of thin leather gloves that reached to her elbows. After pulling them on, she bundled up her clothing and stepped out of the room. 

Theo glanced up through the steam as he placed a glowing red horseshoe in a barrel of water to cool and smiled again. "Well, I can't say it exactly suits you m'lady, but at least you are dry now." He paused, his head tilting to the side and his eyes softened to look at something past her face. "I must say m'lady, you have lovely hair…" To say this caught Sakura of guard would be a gross understatement, and much to her disgust, she felt her cheeks warm in a blush. She was about to retort something rather scathing when his eyes flicked back to her face, and his eyebrows crinkled I concern. "Oh…m'lady, you are hurt…" Her hand instantly flew to her cheek. She had forgotten that she'd cut it before, when she was in the forest. It must have been covered in mud before, and because she had wiped her face clean, it was noticeable once again. 

"Do not concern yourself over a trifle such as this. I am a fast healer." 

This did little to lift the look of concern he was wearing, but thankfully he was distracted by voices at the front of the forge. With a silent sigh of relief, Sakura recognized the voices as those belonging to Tomoyo and Meiling. "We are back, Theo! Is Chaos ready to go?"

Theo turned and called back as he headed around the corner towards the voices. "Hello ladies. Not quite yet, I was just about to fit the shoe now." 

Sakura followed behind, and came into view just as Meiling was replying. "Okay then, we will just wait here then if it is o-" She froze, her eyes widening and her mouth opened and closed, without any sound coming out of it. Tomoyo bumped into her back, frowned, then looked up. Her expression mirrored Meiling's. 

Meiling was the first to recover. "What happened to you?" 

Sakura scowled and replied impatiently. "I ran into some trouble out the front. Theo was kind enough to lend me some clean, dry clothes." She waved the bundle of clothing she was carrying as a justification. Meiling's eyebrow shot up as she gave Sakura a dry look. "Right. If you say so, Sakura." Sakura shot Meiling a withering glare as Tomoyo spoke up. "Uh, Sakura was there something important you needed to tell us, since you had to seek us out?" Sakura's expression softened as she remembered the reason she had come into town in the first place. "Oh, yes there was. It is not urgent, but we need to get going as soon as possible."

"In that case," Theo added, as he went back over to the now cooled horseshoe, "I had better finish my job so you can get going." He went over to the makeshift stall Chaos and Zephyr were tied in and got to work straight away. Sakura waited until the sound of light hammering could be heard before she explained. "A vixen was caught in another of those dreadful traps the hunters have left all over the forest. I heard it call out while I was picking herbs, but I was unable to get to her in time to help."

Meiling let out a long sigh. "And here I thought we had found all the traps…"

Tomoyo was frowning, looking slightly confused. "Apart from Meiling, you are the best tracker I know, so how come you could not reach her in time?"

"Yes, well, I unfortunately ran into someone as I was following the trail." Meiling and Tomoyo exchanged glances as Sakura continued. "For all I knew, _he_ was the one laying the traps. In any case I was quite abrupt with him and left as soon as I could. Even so, I was too late to help the vixen." 

"My, Sakura, two in one day and yet you did not even curse either of them. I must say, I am impressed."

Sakura glared slightly at Meiling before going on the defensive. "I do not curse people, thank you very much." 

"No, you just glower at them until they run away." 

"Tomoyo! And here I thought you were on my side!"

"Your side? Who said anything about taking sides? I was merely making a point." 

Meiling coughed and spoke up. "Anyway Sakura, if you could not help the vixen, why did you need to find us?" Her expression became concerned. "Did she have young?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, she did, two cubs. I left Meeko to keep watch over them for the moment. But we really should get going." With perfect timing, Theo called from the stall. "Okay, you are all ready to go m'ladies."

While they had been talking, Theo had fitted the shoe and had fitted both Zephyr and Chaos into the harness. Tomoyo smiled and reached into a pouch as she came towards him, as Meiling and Sakura got into the carriage. "How much did we owe you again Theo?"

"Just one feather, m'lady." 

Tomoyo smiled and pulled out a gold coin, or 'feather' from her pouch and handed it to Theo, then pulled herself up onto the drivers' bench at the front, picking up the reins. "Thank you very much Theo. Oh, and here." She pulled out another pouch and handed it to Theo. "Give this to Elizabeth as a tea. It will help her get well." 

"Why, thank you m'lady."

Sakura's head appeared in the window of the carriage. "Thank you for the clothing, Theo. I will return them to you as soon as possible." 

"No need to rush m'lady. You can use them as long as you need to." Sakura gave him the barest of smiles before she sat back and disappeared from view. Tomoyo and Meiling said their good-byes, then Tomoyo clicked her tongue and urged Chaos and Zephyr into the rain. 

It was silent for a while in the carriage, until Sakura got tired of the way Meiling was looking at her. "What?"

"'Thank you for the clothing, Theo.'" Meiling mocked lightly as she grinned. "Well, if wonders never cease to amaze. You were actually polite, and to a man no less."

Sakura gave her an affronted looked. "I happen to be very polite to people that do not annoy me, and it just so happens, that Theo has yet to do anything of the sort." She glanced up at Tomoyo through the small gap that allowed you to speak to the driver, and though she couldn't actually see her face, replied, "And do not get that smile on your face Tomoyo, it is nothing more than that."

Tomoyo chuckled silently to herself as Meiling shook her head. "You know Sakura, it would not hurt to be kinder to all of them, they are not _all_ as exasperating as you think they are."

"I was nice to Theo, was I not?" 

"Yes, but that is only one out of hundreds, and besides, the second the poor boy slips up, you become bitter and closed off." Tomoyo's eyelids lowered halfway, as she turned to look at Sakura. "We meant what we said before at breakfast Sakura. We just don't want to see you alone, and by that I mean, besides us."

Sakura continued to watch the road through the gap in the carriage front. "I understand what you are saying, and I appreciate the concern, but you both must understand that I have made my decision for a reason." She lowered her eyes. "I do not-" she paused and sighed. "I gave my heart to another once before. I do not wish to make the same mistake again." 

Meiling and Tomoyo exchanged worried looks. Sakura never really talked much about what had happened to her, but it was always evident in her voice and in the way that her eyes seemed to lose some of their luster that the wounds left from the experience had never fully healed. As much as she had grown from the experience, hardened from a naïve girl to an intelligent and independent woman, she had lost a part of her innocence. She just found it so hard to _trust _people.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Anya and Chi joined them as they entered the forest, and Sakura did not speak up until she needed to tell Meiling where to find the foxes' den. Meiling changed into the form of a small black furred fox and trotted off in the direction Sakura had indicated, Chi following close by her side. 

Tomoyo and Sakura made a quick detour into the forest to collect some more herbs, meeting up with Meeko, and had just returned home when Meiling, still as the fox, came trotting up the forest path, followed closely by two red fox cubs and Chi, bringing up the rear. Kero floated out the door and landed on the front step, giving the cubs a strange look. He glanced at Meiling then at Tomoyo, and finally at Sakura. "I see you ladies had quite an interesting day, then?"

Tomoyo hopped off the carriage and started to unload their packages from the back. "Interesting is certainly _one _way of putting it Kero." Kero's eyebrow rose and glanced first at Meiling, who was nudging the somewhat reluctant fox cubs through the door with her snout, and then to Sakura who was wearing a man's clothing. Kero said 'Ah', but knew from experience not to ask. He would find out sooner or later, when Sakura looked to be in a better mood. "Hermand has been talking all day about having visitors later on tonight, so we should have dinner early."

Meiling came back to the door, now once again human and asked. "Visitors? What kind of visitors?"

"Oh, the usual, people needing our help and so forth…" Kero frowned as he added. "That was all he said until his eyes glowed blue and he started to sing…" Kero's frown deepened, "about being a lumberjack…" His voice became very dry. "…dressing in women's clothing…"

This earned strange looks from all three women.

"A lumberjack dressing in women's clothing?" Meiling shook her head, muttering to herself as she stepped back inside. "And so is written another chapter of my book entitled 'Reasons I regret purchasing a talking, precognitive skull'". 

Tomoyo chuckled as she and Kero followed her inside. Sakura hopped up onto the front of the carriage and clicked her tongue, heading towards the back of the cottage, having volunteered to put Chaos and Zephyr into their stalls. On the way, she passed the small greenhouse out the back that housed all the exotic plants that didn't naturally grow in the forest. The dimensions on the inside were dramatically different to what you could see from the outside, as was the case with the stable and the cottage. From the outside the stable looked as though you wouldn't be able to fit much more than the carriage itself inside, but inside it was an entirely different matter. 

The doors opened up into quite a spacious area. Four stalls lined the left side, and most of the remaining space was open for the carriage and other equipment. A small room to the right housed the tack and grooming tools, and a room next to that held the horses feed. The fourth stall was used to hold the hay used to line the others with. She led Chaos into the second to last stall, and brushed the water from his coat before throwing a blanket onto his back to keep him warm, before moving on and doing the same for Zephyr in the next stall. She was heading to the door when Horse whickered as she passed, and she stopped to scratch him on the cheek. "You are getting old, aren't you Horse…" Horse whickered again and tossed his head, causing Sakura to smile. "Yes, you are. You are getting too old to pull the carriage, and it is unfair to keep you cooped up in here all day. You need a nice big field to run around in." 

Horses snorted and nuzzled her palm. She smiled again and patted his muzzle, before walking back outside and jogging through the rain and into the cottage through the back door. After getting changed in to a nice warm dress, she bundled up her muddy clothes, as well as those Theo had leant her and put them in the stone sink in the wash room to clean later. She walked down the hall into the kitchen area, where the three cats and the two fox cubs were curled up on the rug in front of the fire. Tomoyo and Meiling were cutting up some vegetables for the evening meal and Kero was hovering above a pot sitting on a wire rack over the kitchen fire, stirring the contents with a wooden spoon, the cauldron having been moved aside. They looked up as Sakura sat at the table and started to quietly peel a potato. "Is there something wrong, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked as she dropped a handful of cut carrots into the pot.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking about what I should do with Horse…I was just wondering if maybe he is getting a bit too old for me to use anymore."

Meiling smiled slightly, "Thinking it is about time good old Horse retired?"

"Something like that."

Tomoyo went over to a cupboard and pulled open the door. A light mist floated out as she pulled some meet wrapped in cheesecloth and placed it on the table to cut. The cupboard was enchanted to stay cool, keeping meat, milk and other things that spoiled easily, fresh. "Well, why don't you go talk to Jenna and Geoffory Jameson, they own the horse stud on the outskirts of the forest. I am sure they would not mind taking Horse for you. You should go talk to them while we are at market tomorrow. And you can even purchase a younger horse while you are there."

Sakura nodded slowly with a thoughtful look on her face. "Jenna and Geoffory…they have the two sons, about the same age, and a young daughter, right?"

Meiling nodded as she added her ingredients to the pot. "That's right. Isaac, Eriol and Mia." She frowned slightly and wiped her hands on a cloth sitting on the table. "Though I think they have another brother, who went traveling a few months before we arrived in town. I am not sure on the name though, Isaac mentioned it to me quite a while ago."

Sakura regarded Meiling with a raised eyebrow and an inquiring look. "Isaac…now, would this be the same Isaac I hear you talk about in your sleep?"

Meilings cheeks turned a bright red colour as she spluttered. "I do not!"

Tomoyo laughed and replied. "Actually Meiling, you do. Well only once, but it _was_ still rather amusing."

Meiling put her hands on her hips and huffed. "So what. So I mentioned the name 'Isaac' in my sleep. It does not mean anything at all." She 'hmmf'd, then tossed her head to the side in a dramatic fashion, before looking at Tomoyo from the corner of her eye with a slightly evil glint in her eyes. "And besides, I am not the one who hides a flower under her bed, which one Eriol Jameson gave to her on the very first time we met." 

Tomoyo looked appalled by the statement, but that did little to hide the colour her cheeks turned. "I have done no such thing!"

"Oh, so you won't mind if I just go to your room and check now, hmm?"

Tomoyo froze, her eyes widening considerably. "You would not _dare,_ Meiling Li." 

Meiling smirked. "Ooh, using my surname and everything. She _is_ serious." She turned to Sakura who was watching the whole scene with a look of both amusement and rue and said. "What do you think Sakura? Should I check?"

Sakura shrugged and replied loftily. "Well, there is no need to, is there?" Both Tomoyo and Meiling looked confused, so Sakura smiled sweetly and pointed down the hall. "_Flower_"

Tomoyo shrieked and looked briefly torn between wanting to throttle Sakura and running down the hall to stop any flowers that might just so happen to be attracted by the summons. Meiling, however, laughed and grabbed Tomoyo's arm to stop her from doing either and grinned rather maliciously when an innocent little yellow flower floated into the room and stopped just in front of Sakura. She plucked it out of the air, ignoring Tomoyo's squeak of protest, and examined closely the small bright yellow flower, before glancing up at Tomoyo, struggling in the grip of a grinning Meiling. "My god, she even put a spell on it so it would not wilt or dry up."

Meiling finally let go of Tomoyo, (who crossed her arms and slumped heavily onto a seat next to Sakura, a blush still reddening her cheeks), in order to try and smother her giggles. 

"I was just flattered by the attention, that is all. It was a very sweet gesture." Tomoyo replied in way of an explanation.

Hermand, who up had been watching the whole exchange with interest, finally spoke up. "Ha! That is _nothing_ compared to what she wrote about him in her journal…"

"What?!"

"_Hermand!_" 

"Jour-"

"Do not even _think_ about finishing that word Sakura…"

"Hehehe…"

"Oh, _do_ be quiet Kero…"

*

Syaoran was seated comfortably by the fire, a warm drink in his hand, and the small form of Mia sleeping soundly in his lap, her arms still wrapped possessively around his waist. It seemed that even in her sleep she refused to let him go, lest he get the idea in his head to leave again. It was fairly late at night, and Syaoran had finished telling everyone about what had happened on his travels a while ago. Everyone else had gone to bed, and Syaoran had volunteered to put Mia to bed when he had finished his drink. He took another sip of tea and stared into the embers of the fire. God, it felt good to be home, he thought idly to himself. Sure, traveling had been an adventure, the sense of freedom had been almost overpowering, but it was nothing compared to having a place where he belonged, somewhere he could truly call a home. 

Mia mumbled something in her sleep. He looked down and watched her as her face crinkled into a frown and started to wriggle, as though she was uncomfortable in the position she was in. She finally settled after a few seconds, but not before elbowing Syaoran in the jaw. He rubbed the sore spot on his chin and looked back into the fire, listening to the steady rain pounding the windows. It had been wonderful to finally see his sisters again, even if he did clearly remember them teasing and annoying him mercilessly when they where younger. It had also come as quite a shock to find out that he was an uncle, several times over. They had enough children between them to populate a small town. His mother had left them, like in his case, with friends of the family. They had to run quite far. From what FanRen told him, a short while after he had been dropped off at the Jameson's doorstep, his mother and sisters had been spotted by a group of angry people still bent on hunting the leader of the Li clan down. When his mother found out that her pursuers where close, she put her remaining daughters on a carriage passing through town and told them to meet with a distant relative until she came to find them again. 

That day never came. She had died in the fight to protect her children. His sisters stayed with the relative for a time, but eventually went their separate ways. They had wanted to find Syaoran, but feared that there was still a price on their heads. Eventually, though the fear of being found diminished, they had their own lives that they couldn't desert, and so where unable to do so. They had each been overjoyed when he came looking for them. He had found Fuutie first, after almost a year of traveling, and had stayed with her for a while before setting off to find his other two sisters, who lived a bit further away. Eventually though, he yearned to be back to his home by the Villaar forest. 

Syaoran yawned and scratched the back of his neck. It was late and if he sat there any longer Mia was likely to get uncomfortable again and accidentally punch him in the face once more. So, draining the last of the tea from his mug, he placed the mug on the floor next to the chair and picked Mia up. She let out a snort and snuggled into his arms as he carried her upstairs to her room. 

After tucking her in and placing a light kiss on her forehead, he quietly closed her bedroom door behind him and walked back downstairs to his bedroom. It was just as he left it; a large bed up against the wall to the left with a trunk at the end, a chest of drawers to the right of the door, and the open window covered by soft white curtains. He stood in the doorway and breathed in deeply. It felt so good to be back home. 

Smiling slightly to himself, he kicked off his boots and pulled off the belt and dark blue tunic until he was clad only in the thin cotton shirt and a pair of loose black pants. Slipping into the warmth of his bed, he finally drifted off into a deep sleep, listening to the steady fall of the rain outside.

*

"They are approaching…"

Sakura sat up and sighed in relief, "Oh _finally…_I was beginning to think they were never going to show up…_"_

Tomoyo looked at her with a look of slight irritation through the green mist rising from the cauldron. "Sakura! Now, that is not a nice thing to say. And here I thought you enjoyed helping people…"

Sakura's expression looked slightly bored. "I do, I just rather help people at a time when I would not rather be asleep in my nice warm bed." She crossed her arms over her chest as she strode over and peaked at the potion Tomoyo was concocting in the cauldron. "And that concoction you are mixing is giving me a headache." She waved some of the smoke away from her face and coughed. "Is it really necessary?"

Meiling strode up behind her and replied. "Of course it is, and besides, we must make a good impression." She adjusted the black cloak she was wearing, woven with designs of different animals and beasts and came over to look into the cauldron. "And it was all your idea in the first place to do this contract spell, so you should not complain." 

Sakura sighed. "Yes it was, but I do not recall ever mentioning that it should smell like a swamp either." Tomoyo speaking as though it was a point brought up many times before replied. "All ingredients we use for our potions are added for a specific reason. The smell or taste is just an unfortunate consequence."

Sakura let out a sigh and mumbled, 'I know, I know…"

She was right though. No matter how much either Meiling or Sakura joked that Tomoyo's motto should be 'The worst an elixir tastes, the better it is for you' it was a fact that Tomoyo's brew's were the best and most effective around. The fact that they occasionally tasted absolutely foul was a mere consequence. In fact, some of her elixirs' were so good that small wounds could be healed instantly, right before your eyes. It was because of this that they had to be careful, and any potions that they gave to strangers were 'watered down'. They healed, but took longer, so that the people using them wouldn't get suspicious or frightened.

Tomoyo stirred the mixture in the cauldron and took a small sip. "There, all ready and just in time too." There was a knock at the door, then Kero, in his true form, led a small nervous group of travelers inside. Tomoyo smiled and curtseyed slightly. "Welcome to our home, weary travelers. Please sit down and tell us why you seek our aid." 

Sakura listened with half an ear as she stroked Kero's head and looked over the group. They often had visitors much like the ones they had now. As white witches, they felt it was there duty to help those that truly needed it. But still, even though these people sought the aid of witches, and felt they could trust them enough to help them with their problems, there was still a sense of unease and fear, of which was not just felt by the travelers themselves. Some people didn't stop just at loathing witches and their 'dark magic's', some even loathed the people that sought a witch's help. 

It was for this reason that a contract was made, in the form of an elixir the travelers had to drink. It was for protection of both them and the witches. Once they left the cottage, they would forget they had met the witches, and head home. Whatever potion or brew they had been given to alleviate whatever problem they had would only be recognized as something not out-of-the-ordinary, that they had picked up on their travels. All that they could remember was how they were supposed to use the brew when they got home. The only time they would remember where they had actually been was if they ever happened to come upon someone who could use the witch's aid and then they would be able to tell them where to go. This was how the existence of the witches was spread. So far, the contract spell had been a success, but even so, Sakura still wanted to make extra precautions. 

Their home in the forest was surrounded by an unseen barrier, of which only the witch's, (and their various animals of course) could enter unaffected. Anyone else had to be invited (or more specifically, escorted) in. Anyone not invited would simply become lost, as the forest surrounding the cottage would shift and they would eventually end up at the edge of the forest. Kero was usually the one to find them and lead them through the barrier to the cottage. He always went in his true from, feeling it left a good impression and instilled a sense of power about the witches, 'for having such control over a mighty winged beast'. Besides, one of the things they where told about the location of the witches cottage was 'follow the winged beast with the golden eyes. He will lead you to those you wish to seek'. 

Sakura's attention returned to the room when a lady, who was explaining about her unrequited love, said something that made Sakura frown. "You were talking to an old man?"

She nodded and looked confused, as Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did he have a long white beard and speak in a deep voice?"

The woman, even more confused than before, nodded slowly. Everyone else was watching with interest. Sakura still looked suspicious. "What exactly was he talking to you about?"

She looked shy and humble under Sakura's scrutinizing gaze. "Um, well…he told us a bit about you…about what you can do…and that you could help us…" She avoided the hard look Sakura was giving her. "And…he…uh…was telling us about…er…"

"He told you about what happened in my past."

The lady, still not looking in Sakura's direction, merely nodded. Sakura sighed and stared out the window, her eyes narrowed. "I think Time and I should have a little chat later…" It wasn't the first time it had happened. Since getting his own conscious, like with her other spirits, Time could do things of his own free will. He was actually quite useful in that sometimes he could spot a problem that the sisters either couldn't or wouldn't help with and would be able to send them on their way without a fuss. Unfortunately, in explaining _why_ they couldn't help with a particular problem usually led to an in-depth recount of Sakura's sad life story, because the only problems they generally _wouldn't_ help with, was problems of the heart. Well, it was mainly Sakura that was adamant about it. But she _did_ have a valid reason to do so, besides her personal feelings on the subject. Sakura's expression softened. "I am sorry that your love is unrequited, but there is nothing we can do on the subject."

Tomoyo frowned and asked tentatively, "Are you _sure_ Sakura…I mean we _do_ have the knowledge and the items to do a love spell." 

Sakura shook her head. "No. You know that it would be wrong. How do you think it would feel to know that the man you love with all your heart only loves you back because of a spell? It is not right."

The lady nodded. "I realize that now. Time," she glanced at Sakura briefly, "as you called him, tried to make me understand before, but I realize now what he was trying to tell me." She sighed and shook her head. "I wasted so much time on that man, so much of my energy and yet he still barely noticed me." She laughed a bitter laugh. "He probably has not even realized I have left town." 

Sakura smiled a sad but reassuring smile and said. "Is there anything else that you might need our help with?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Well, I could use something to eat to get that horrible elixir taste out of my mouth." They had all agreed to take the potion earlier, even after Tomoyo explained that to finish it off, they had to add a drop of their own blood to their own share of the potion; not that anyone ever actually refused to take it. Everyone was at least smart enough to realize that it was for there own good. The potion already tasted bad enough to begin with, and a drop of your own blood certainly didn't add to its appeal. Sakura shot Tomoyo a quick look, of which she returned with an innocent smile. "Come, the apples in the greenhouse are ripe enough to pick now. They are quite tasty and it will help to rid the taste from your mouth. Do you mind helping me?" The lady smiled and shook her head. Leaving Meiling and Tomoyo to help out with the remaining people (who needed their specific help with problems, which wasn't in Sakura's area of expertise), Sakura led the lady down the hall, then through the door that opened into the greenhouse. The lady gasped at what she saw. 

"My goodness, this is amazing!" The various plants stretched out far, you could barely see the back wall (this was due to the fact that the wall in question was covered by plant life, _and_ because it stretched out quite a far distance. On the outside, the greenhouse looked barely larger than about 5 square metres, but inside, it was an entirely different matter). The atmosphere changed from humid to warm and dry, to cool, depending on what each group of plants needed as they walked down a small gravel path. "This greenhouse is Tomoyo's pride and joy. She would sleep out here if she thought we would let her get away with it." The lady chuckled as she followed Sakura down the winding path. Sakura pointed out a few plants of interest, and what properties that as they headed towards the back, Lindsey, as the lady said her name was, marveling at everything as she went. They were just coming up to the apple tree; its branches weighed down by heavy green apples when something hit the roof with a bang, followed by a thump off to the side, near ground level. Lindsey shrieked at the sudden noise. "What was that?"

Sakura, looking up with a frown on her face. "I am not sure…" She looked down again and strode briskly towards a door hidden by a grapevine. Lindsey followed close behind, looking wary. 

Sakura pulled open the door and stood in the doorway, sheltered by the rain and looked out. "Oh…Eris…it was just you…"

A woman, dressed entirely in black, was sprawled in the mud looking a little dazed. A twiggy broom was lying several feet away. "Yes…it was just me…sorry about that. I got rain in my eyes and I did not realize I was so close to the greenhouse roof until I flew right into it."

Sakura shook her head and strode forward to help her to her feet and bring her into the dry greenhouse. Eris, besides being very muddy, was quite small; you would probably describe her as mousy, but she radiated a sense of great power and confidence. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face that had come loose from the tight bun and leaned her broom against the wall after giving it a wary look. "I should probably get that fixed. It always gets a bit touchy in the rain." 

That was the one snag to the forest barrier Sakura had erected. The forest could not shift and get you lost if you were flying above it. Fortunately, very few people had the ability to fly. 

Sakura closed the greenhouse door and sighed. "Eris, why exactly are you here?"

Eris grinned. "Well, in the past few days or so _you_, my dear Sakura, have been feeling rather vindictive. Twice today you got my attention." 

Sakura grumbled under her breath and sighed. "Yes, okay, so I got annoyed at a few people. But as tempted as the thought may be, I do not need to resort to vengeance. I think I handled it quite well."

Lindsey frowned. "Vengeance?"

Eris grinned. "That is correct." She curtseyed formally and said. "Greetings and good fortune to you, Miss Lindsay. My name is Eris, and I am the resident vengeance witch. If there is ever anyone who needs I good smiting, then smite them I shall. That's my motto!"

Sakura's eyebrow rose. "I thought your motto was 'you have to be cruel to be kind'?"

Eris waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, that was last week." She rubbed her hands together. "Right, so this man of yours," she said, addressing Lindsay. "Anything in particular you want done to him. Bring his worst fears to life? Or maybe something else…uncomfortable inflammations are always popular. How about rectifying this unrequited love of yours by sending him some flaming hemorrhoids. He will think twice about ever ignoring your pretty face again." she frowned, "Actually, he will think twice about doing a lot of things…" then looked thoughtful, "like sitting…"

Sakura had a very odd, half amused look on her face. "I do not think…ugh…flaming hemorrhoids are necessary, Eris."

Eris, not really listening, was scratching her chin. "…and walking…. And he probably will not want to laugh for a while either…"

"_Eris!" _

She looked up startled. "Hmmm?" 

"No flaming hemorrhoids."

She looked disappointed. "Not even a little one?"

Lindsey held her hands and shook them. "No, please, it is okay. He is not the one to blame. I was the one who was too blind to see that he was not meant to be. He should not be punished for my mistake." 

Eris looked disappointed. "Are you sure? If hemorrhoids are a little too drastic, I can give him something else." She grinned hopefully. "How about a little R.B.O.?"

At Lindsey's confused expression, Sakura explained. "Rancid Body Odor. Believe me, if you live near him, you do _not_ want to give him that one."

"Oh, I remember now! I was putting that very curse on a man that was stealing stock from his sister's farm when we first met." She smiled in memory. "Ah, what memories. He smelt so bad that even the pigs did not want to be near him."

Lindsey smiled slightly. "No, thank you for the offer, but it will not be necessary." 

Eris sighed. "Well, if you are sure." She clasped her hands together. "Well, if I can not convince either of you to let me disperse a little vengeance, then can I at least convince Sakura to invite me in for tea? I am quite parched."

Sakura smiled. "There is no need to convince me, Eris, I was just about to offer you a cup." 

"Ahh lovely." She picked up her broom and followed behind as Sakura led them back into the house. 

Eventually, it was time for Kero to lead the traveler's back through the forest. With their various remedies to help with their problems (one person with a fox problem was handed a jar of strange yellow liquid that they were not, under any circumstances, allowed to open until they got home. In explanation, Meiling said that it contained a liquid scent that would keep the fox's from killing chickens, but the look on her face stopped this person from asking just what exactly was _in_ the potion that did this). 

Sakura sank into the sheets of her bed and stared into the dark, listening to the rain. She briefly hoped that her day tomorrow would be less eventful than her trip into town was today. That may turn out to be a little hard though. It was market day tomorrow, and that in itself was eventful enough, even without the hordes of bustling people hunting for bargains. Still, if any more people bumped into her, she would seriously have to consider wearing padding of some kind. She briefly thought about the two men that had bumped into her…or her into them. She still wasn't quite sure which way it was. A small part of her wanted to bump into them again…maybe not so literally this time, but in her book, they had gotten off _far_ too easily. Still, knowing her luck, she would probably bump into them again anyway. Rolling over with a sigh, she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the rain pounding the roof. 

*

__

The silence rolled like a fog over the houses. A dog stirred and barked, but no noise came from its mouth. The lack of sound seemed to suck at your eardrums, almost like they were, even though the rest of your body was in a deep sleep, straining to hear noise, any noise in the still of the night. The dog ran circles in the hard it was confined to, barking its silent bark, at the thing it could feel was coming, but could not smell or hear, and as of yet could not see. 

Like a lifeless doll its limbs hung limp at its side, as it floated up the hill and through the trees. The dog saw it and cowered, backing into the side of the house, its eyes wide with fear, its tail between its legs. 

Floating up to the second floor, its head lolling to the side, as it stared through the window with wide, dead-white eyes. Through the window a woman slept fitfully. She tossed and turned, sweating profusely, her bed sheets twisted and tightened around her legs with every movement.

They could always sense it, but by that time it was always too late. It floated through the window, as though it was only as solid as a shadow, but a shadow could not do the things it could do. Its gaping mouth opened, revealing a mouth full off rotten, jagged teeth and a long purple tongue covered in saliva as red as blood. It drifted over until it was above the woman, then floated down so that it was hanging just above her. If she opened his eyes, she would be staring it straight in its grotesque face.

The woman's eyes snapped open and she screamed, or she would have screamed, if there had been any sound. 

The scene suddenly flickered. Instead of a woman lying trapped in her bed, a young girl, with strange symbols painted in blood on her forehead, her arms and on exposed her stomach sat, surrounded by black wax candles. Tears flowed from her eyes as she threw her head back and screamed, but this time a scream you could hear. The blood written symbols on her skin started to bubble as a shapeless black fog started to appear in front of her. 

The fog started to take shape, then, as though sucked by the bubbling symbols, was pulled towards her body.

The scene changed again. 

Once more, the woman was lying in her bed, screaming as the thing ripped her clothes and tore into her flesh. 

Again the scene flickered and changed. The fog had gone, but the girl was still screaming. The skin around the symbols started to writhe, like bugs were crawling around underneath. Her arm dropped to her side, almost lifeless and started to twitch as the skin from her shoulder to her elbow began to tear.

Once more the scene changed. The woman now lay limp. The thing above her pulled out its hands from chest cavity, covered in blood, and lowered its mouth to the dead woman's chest. It breathed in, and with its sucking breath, the sound of the girl's scream could be heard. 

He sat up with a start, panting as though he had just run a marathon. His cotton shirt clung to his chest, drenched in a cold sweat. He swallowed and ran a hand threw his sweat soaked hair and finally calmed his rapid heartbeat and his gasping breath. It had been a dream…no a _nightmare_, but it was not the first time he had had that dream. Nor would it be the last. Finally calming himself down, he lay back on the chilled sheets and tried to push the nightmare to the back of his mind, so maybe he could sleep. No matter how far he traveled, he could not escape the nightmares. He wasn't really even sure if he wanted to. The nightmares were the only things that were a constant reminder of his past. It was his driving force. Alone he would face his demons and right a terrible wrong that had been brought upon this earth. Alone he would follow, and alone he would dream his nightmares until the end.

But he was not as alone as he thought.

He was not the only one that had the same dream that night…

**

Hoo boy. Okay, hands up who has been watching too much horror lately… *S.D. looks around, then grins sheepishly and raises a hand.* Well…I did watch The Ring a while ago…that movie creeped the hell outta me...(does everyone else hate it when they suddenly flash a scene and blast really loud music suddenly so that you jump right out of your skin, and if it wasn't for years of bladder control, you'd probably wet your pants??) Well, I think some of that creepyness has stuck. * grins * I hope none of you have over-active imaginations!! Anywho, in the next chappie, guess who bumps into each other at market? (I'm thinking it should be pretty freakin' obvious, coz I was hoping I set up that whole scenario quite clearly…) Ahh, what fun… 

Please don't forget to review!! 

Hope you enjoyed it,

ciao!

StarDragon ^-^ ^-^ 

****

P.S. Oh by the way, you've seen Monty Python sketch before right? Well, if you have then you should know that I was referring to 'The lumberjack song' (I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, I sleep all night and I work all day…') when Kero was saying that Hermand was singing things about lumberjacks and woman's clothing. If you don't know what I'm on about THEN START WATCHING MONTY PYTHON!! (Especially, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. That ones pretty darn hilarious…) You probably know what I'm on about. I think everyone has seen something Monty Pythonish…Anywho, if anyone is still confused, go look up the lyrics somewhere, or better yet go find a copy of Monty Python's Flying Circus that has the lumberjack song on it (Go John Cleese! He's a legend!) Righto, that's all, ciao again! 


	5. Of Daylight Moon and Sparrows

****

Blessed Be

Hey…I actually though up a half-decent chapter title…and the chapter is up real quick…

Is anyone else scared beyond all reason? Coz I am…

Anyway, let's get on with things. First and foremost, I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed, I really appreciate the support. ^-^ (smiley faces, streamers and small expensive chocolates for you ^-^) ^-^ and of course, many thankies to my editor, bunni, who works rather tirelessly to whip the chapters into ship-shape. (smiley faces, streamers, small expensive chocolates and _confetti_ for you^-^ ^-^)

Right, so, I don't own anything, so let's get on with the show!! 

Chapter Five: Of Daylight Moon and Sparrows. 

The silence rolled like a fog over the houses. A dog stirred and barked, but no noise came from its mouth. The lack of sound seemed to suck at your eardrums, almost like they were, even though the rest of your body was in a deep sleep, straining to hear noise, any noise in the still of the night. The dog ran circles in the hard it was confined to, barking its silent bark, at the thing it could feel was coming, but could not smell or hear, and as of yet could not see. 

Like a lifeless doll its limbs hung limp at its side, as it floated up the hill and through the trees. The dog saw it and cowered, backing into the side of the house, its eyes wide with fear, its tail between its legs. 

Floating up to the second floor, its head lolling to the side, as it stared through the window with wide, dead-white eyes. Through the window a woman slept fitfully. She tossed and turned, sweating profusely, her bed sheets twisted and tightened around her legs with every movement.

They could always sense it, but by that time it was always too late. It floated through the window, as though it was only as solid as a shadow, but a shadow could not do the things it could do. Its gaping mouth opened, revealing a mouth full off rotten, jagged teeth and a long purple tongue covered in saliva as red as blood. It drifted over until it was above the woman, then floated down so that it was hanging just above her. If she opened his eyes, she would be staring it straight in its grotesque face.

The woman's eyes snapped open and she screamed, or she would have screamed, if there had been any sound. 

The scene suddenly flickered. Instead of a woman lying trapped in her bed, a young girl, with strange symbols painted in blood on her forehead, her arms and on exposed her stomach sat, surrounded by black wax candles. Tears flowed from her eyes as she threw her head back and screamed, but this time a scream you could hear. The blood written symbols on her skin started to bubble as a shapeless black fog started to appear in front of her. 

The fog started to take shape, then, as though sucked by the bubbling symbols, was pulled towards her body.

The scene changed again. 

Once more, the woman was lying in her bed, screaming as the thing ripped her clothes and tore into her flesh. 

Again the scene flickered and changed. The fog had gone, but the girl was still screaming. The skin around the symbols started to writhe, like bugs were crawling around underneath. Her arm dropped to her side, almost lifeless and started to twitch as the skin from her shoulder to her elbow began to tear.

Once more, the scene changed. The woman now lay limp. The thing above her pulled out its hands from chest cavity, covered in blood, and lowered its mouth to the dead woman's chest. It breathed in, and with its sucking breath, the sound of the girl's scream could be heard.

*

Sakura sat up suddenly with a sharp, wheezing intake of breath. Her wide eyes searched frantically around the room until, from out of the early morning gloom, familiar objects could be seen. She breathed a sigh of relief and threw her legs to the edge of her bed, then got up to perform her usual morning rituals. After splashing her face with the cool water in a basin by the window, she went over to her chest and dug around until she found her training clothes. The dream had been so _vivid_. For the past few weeks or so, she had awoken in a cold sweat, but with no memory of what had caused her to wake in such a manner. But why, all of a sudden, could she remember all of it, every gruesome detail? And who was the woman, or the girl covered in strange symbols? To Sakura, it felt like the dream was trying to tell her something. Maybe show her something that happened in the past, or _would_ happen in the near future. After pulling on her training garb, Sakura bent down to pull on her boots, then sat on the top of the chest to lace them up tight, as she went over in detail in her mind the things she could remember about the girl. She appeared to be performing some sort of summoning spell, but why would anyone willingly bring such a creature into this world that could inflict such horror and torment to its victims?

Lost in thought, Sakura walked down the hall, past Meiling's and Tomoyo's bedrooms, and out into the kitchen, where she picked up her sword and headed for the front yard. A few seconds after the soft click of the front door closing, a door down the hallway opened, and Meiling's head popped out to look down the hallway confused. A few seconds later, Tomoyo's doorway opened and she too poked her head out. The two ladies stared down the hall into the empty kitchen for a few seconds, then looked at each other. 

"Well," Meiling said as she stepped out of her bedroom, "I do believe she forgot about us."

"And she usually gets so much enjoyment out of getting us up too. " Tomoyo held a finger to her cheek; her typical pose if she was thinking or making a point. "I wonder if something is troubling her?"

They made their way to the kitchen, having already changed into their training garments, and picked up a sword each, before heading out the front door. The sky was clear blue; only a few white clouds remained from the rainstorm the previous day. They found Sakura in the clearing, performing a kata, but with a look on her face that suggested she wasn't really paying much attention to what she was doing, and was only performing the moves out of pure habit.

Meiling coughed politely when Sakura neglected to notice that they had entered the clearing. 

Sakura froze and blinked, then lowered her sword. "Oh, good morning."

Meiling gave her a strange look. "Sakura, was there any reason why you did not come in to wake us with your usual cheerful greeting? Or have you finally tired of it?"

Sakura looked confused at first, then her mouth formed an 'o' as she realized what she was on about. "Oh, oh I am sorry. My mind was elsewhere."

Meiling held up her hands. "No need to be sorry. It makes my teeth hurt when you are so sugary sweet so early in the day."

Tomoyo, ignoring Meiling's remark, looked concerned as she eyed Sakura's face. She had dark circles under her eyes, as though she had not had a good nights sleep, and the fact that she had completely forgotten to rouse herself and Meiling was quite worrying. "Are you okay Sakura? You look a little troubled."

Sakura shook her head. "Oh no, I am fine. I…I just had a strange dream. That is all."

Meiling glanced at Tomoyo, before eyeing Sakura. "A strange dream. What sort of strange dream?"

Sakura paused then proceeded to tell them of the dream she'd had. They both looked horrified at what she had seen, even though she had actually downplayed a few of the more gruesome parts. "Oh, that is horrible!" Tomoyo exclaimed when she had finished. "Do you think it means anything?"

Sakura shrugged. "I am not sure. It was vivid, but I do not know what all of it means." 

Meiling started to stretch. "Well, we can not do anything about it now. We will just have to see what happens next. If it is supposed to mean something, then I am sure you will have the dream again, and Hermand will probably have something to say about it too." 

Sakura shivered at the concept of having the dream again but nodded. "Yes, you are right." She stepped back to allow Tomoyo to start her warm up, and continued with her kata. "Though I do hope it does not mean something bad is coming." 

After finishing their exercises, thankfully no one getting hurt this time, they returned to the cottage to freshen up and to have breakfast before they headed into town for market. Meiling fed the cubs and left them to play in the front yard as Tomoyo and Sakura prepared breakfast. It was peaceful as everyone sat down to eat, until Meiling happened to glance, out of habit, into Sakura's bowl. 

"Hmmm," she said as she rubbed her chin. "Well now, that is interes-" She paused and leaned forward for a closer look, before frowning and grabbing Sakura's spoon to swirl the mixture with. "Hm," she said again, but this time she sounded mildly surprised.

Sakura, looking exasperated, propped her elbow on the table and leaned her chin into her hand. "Oh, what is it now? Has the man I am 'fated to be with' finally decided I am more trouble than I am worth?"

Meiling, ignoring the comment and the obvious sarcasm in Sakura's tone, swirled the porridge with her spoon again, then stood back with a hand on her hip. "Well, something has happened." She sat down heavily into her chair and gave Sakura an inquiring expression. "It says now that you should 'avoid delay when the waning moon shines in the daylight.'" She paused, then spoke up once again. "I can see two reasons why it has changed. One," she held up a forefinger as she spoke, "this fated man of yours has died, or two," there was a decisive twinkle in her eye. "You have already met him."

Tomoyo grinned and sat forward. "Ooh, do tell. So, when do we meet him?"

Sakura looked quite appalled. "No one is meeting anyone. This man is just a part of Meiling's twisted imagination." She turned her head slowly to Meiling and said through slightly clenched teeth. "_Right_, Meiling?"

Meiling crossed her arms. "I did not make him up. I am but a conduit in which the secrets of the future flow." 

Sakura rolled her eyes as Tomoyo put a finger to her cheek. "Now let's see. There was that man in the forest, the man in the street, and Theo." Her eyes twinkled. "Ooh, my money is on Theo! After all, you _were_ quite polite to him, and he was nice enough to lend you some clothes when you needed them. And he is _very_ handsome."

Meiling grinned. "That's right! And you did meet him for the first time yesterday too. That would explain why the prediction has changed."

Sakura stood up suddenly, put her now empty bowl into the sink, and started to clean it with a bit more vigor than was really necessary. "You are both grossly mistaken if you think any of those," her mouth twitched slightly, and her eyes closed as though she was struggling to get the word out, "_gentlemen_ have anything to do with my fate." 

Tomoyo smiled slightly as she placed her empty bowl into the sink. "Come now Sakura. You can at least give Theo a chance right? You must admit. He is awfully nice, and he _is_ rather nice to look at."

"I am no going to 'give Theo a chance'. You are out of your mind. And what does looks have to do with anything anyway?" 

Meiling's smile widened. "Oh, so you _do_ like him!"

"I said no such thing!"

"Ahh, but I speak 'Sakura Logic' and when you say 'what do looks have to do with anything', it means that you think he is nice, which means you _like_ him." She grinned widely. 

"I think that logic is all your own, because it does not make any sense to me." 

"Are you ladies finished? Or are you just going to argue here all day instead of going into town so we can sell things and make some money." Kero gave them a dry expression. "You know money, right? Those small, shiny, round objects you exchange for goods and services one needs to have in life."

Tomoyo, laughing, threw her hands up and replied. "Okay Kero! We are going!"

*

It was early morning in the Jameson's homestead. 

A window on the uppermost floor was pushed open, and Mia, grinning to herself, pushed herself out onto the ledge. In much the same way that she had done the day previous, Mia lowered herself to the next floor down, yet instead of entering the room she had yesterday, she clung to the wall with her fingertips and inched over to the next one. Through the open window she could see straight into the room. Her gaze hovered over the tunic strewn haphazardly on the back of a chair; the boots dropped by the door, and the sleeping figure in the bed. His breathing was deep, slow and even, indicating to Mia that her dear big brother was asleep.

But not for much longer.

She grinned and dropped silently into the room, pulled a bottle from her waist that she had tied there, and quietly tugged out the cork from top. She grinned and, up on her tiptoes, she held the bottle over his head. 

"I would reconsider that if I was you…"

Mia shrieked, lost her balance, and fell to the floor with a thud, spilling most of the water onto herself. She sat up, wheezing slightly. "Syaoran! I-I-I thought you were asleep!"

"So it seems" came his dry reply as he finally opened his eyes and sat up. She pouted and stood up, shaking some of the water off her sleeves. "How did you know I was there? You did not even have your eyes open." 

Syaoran yawned and ran a hand through his long, now loose, messy hair. "Well, I learned to sleep lightly on my travels. And besides, Isaac and Eriol were kind enough to warn me of your…uhh…methods of waking people up."

Mia huffed. "Well. There goes _my_ source of fun."

Syaoran chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "You will find other ways to by amused Mia. Much to my expense, I am sure." Mia watched him as he found a tie and pulled his hair into a low ponytail. "How long have you had your hair long like that?"

He glanced at her as he pulled it tight. "For a while…why?"

She tilted her head to the side as though considering her answer. "Well…it is just…" She made a face. "Not…you."

"Not me?" What kind of an answer is that?" Syaoran looked slightly defensive as he strode over to the bedroom door and swung it open. "Well, I happen like it."

"Mia is right. It does not suit you, brother." Syaoran had to stop short, as Eriol was standing just outside his door. Syaoran scowled slightly. "Since when do I take advice from you?"

Eriol pretended to look wounded. "Oh, such harsh words. It hurts me that you do not value my opinion."

"He is right you know. You should cut it."

Syaoran sent his scowl over to Isaac, who had just joined them in the hall. "If everyone has finished telling me what to do, can we please go down to have some breakfast?"

Eriol's eyebrow arched, giving Syaoran an impassive look. "Sure, fine, go ahead."

Isaac, with a similar expression on his face, added. "We are not stopping you."

"After all, it is your hair. Far be it from us to tell you what to do."

"Yes, it's your funeral…"

Syaoran gave them both a dirty look. Mia just giggled. 

*

"Sakura. I thought you went out to buy a horse? Why are you carrying chickens?"

It was much later in the day, and Sakura had just returned to the stall. She placed the crate she was carrying on the ground, where two brown hens were clucking quietly to themselves and replied. "I liked them. And now we will not have to travel to market to get eggs."

Tomoyo finished serving a customer to look down at the two chickens, then at Sakura. "But where will we put them?"

"Well, I was thinking we could keep them in the greenhouse."

Tomoyo looked appalled. "I should think not! I am not having chickens in my greenhouse, thank you very much."

Sakura did not look phased. "Then we will let them wander around the front garden. It will not take me long to build a shelter for them. And the hedges around the garden will keep them from wandering out into the forest."

Tomoyo smiled. "Well…okay then. As long as they stay in the front garden." 

Sakura smiled slightly then glanced at Meiling and frowned. "Meiling, stop eyeing off my chickens."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry" She grinned sheepishly as she turned away from the chickens and went to stand near Tomoyo. If Meiling ever spent too much time as one single animal, as she had been recently with the fox cubs to look after, she always retained a few of the animals' instincts. It was mainly for this reason that she stuck to predator animals if she changed. The prey animals always made her jumpy and rather nervous. Once, after changing into a rabbit for a while, it took her a whole week to stop twitching at every loud noise. The predatory animals had a 'sharper mind', as she had described it once, and she found it easier to think like a human in a predator's body than it was in a prey animal's body. Sakura turned when Tomoyo tapped her on the shoulder. "Yes?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Jameson are over there, you should go talk to them."

Sakura saw them looking at some items at another stall over. "Oh good." She trotted over to them before she lost sight of them in the crowd. "Mr. and Mrs. Jameson!" They stopped and turned, then smiled. "Ahh, Miss Sakura. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Geoffrey said with a small bow. 

"I was hoping you would be able to do me a favour. You see, my horse," She paused to point over to 'Horse', who was tied to the back of the stall. "Is too old to pull the carriage anymore, and I feel it cruel to leave him in his stable all day long. I was hoping that you could be so kind as to allow me to keep him at your farm. You will be compensated, of course, if you feel he requires and specific care."

Jenna rubbed her chin. "Am I correct in saying that you will need to purchase another horse then?"

Sakura nodded. "That is correct."

"Hmm, what do you say dear?"

Geoffrey smiled and replied. "What say we make a deal? We will take in your horse for you if you promise to purchase a horse from _us_ in exchange. Oh, and one of your delightful cakes would not go astray either." Geoffrey was quite fond of the cakes Sakura and her friends sometimes sold at market. Sakura smiled. "It is a deal then."

Jenna smiled, then glanced over at something behind Sakura. "Well, I see our other boys are busy buying the groceries." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Sakura turned and saw that Eriol and Tomoyo were talking amiably to each other, were as Meiling and Isaac seemed to be bartering over a basket of fruit and vegetables, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. 

Jenna chuckled and headed towards their stall at the back end of the market place. "Come, we have some fine animals up for sale today. Our other son, Syaoran, he just arrived back in town yesterday. He and Mia are at our stall now." 

*

Syaoran couldn't help but smile a little as he stood back and watched the hustle and bustle of the market place around him. They had four horses up for sale that day, and Syaoran had just finished tying them each to the long length of rope that sectioned off their small corner area. Syaoran glanced up when he finished and noticed that Mia was watching him, perched on the edge of an empty crate. "Where did Eriol and Isaac go?"

She started to swing her legs back and forth. "They went over to buy some fruit from Meiling, Tomoyo and Sakura."

"And who are 'Meiling, Tomoyo and Sakura?"

"They sell fruit and vegetables and other things. Miss Tomoyo is very good with a needle." She tugged at the skirt of the pretty dress she was wearing. "She made this."

Syaoran glanced at the skirt. It was a pale yellow colour and had flowers and small birds embroidered on the fabric. "Well, she certainly does a good job."

Mia nodded, as she continued to swing her legs back and forth. "They came to town not long after you went traveling. Eriol and Isaac are always talking to them."

"Oh really. I should like to meet them then."

"Well, you already have."

Syaoran frowned, looking confused. "I have?"

"You met Sakura, in the woods yesterday."

Syaoran looked slightly confused before it dawned on him. "Oh…_her_." He paused and glanced at Mia. "Wait a minute. How did you know about that?" He had neglected to mention his little run-in in the forest when he was telling everyone about his journey.

"From my dreams, of course."

Syaoran nodded in understanding. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot you had those." 

Mia screwed up her nose. "You were really rude to her."

Syaoran, slightly taken aback, retorted, "She was rude to me first! I said I was sorry, and she called me a barbarian. And a boorish pig. If anyone was rude, it was she."

"But then you called her a stupid girl."

Syaoran gave her a very dry look. "I think 'boorish pig' is somewhat ruder than 'stupid girl' Mia."

Mia shrugged, then smiled and waved as she saw someone coming towards them. 

Syaoran turned to see Jenna and Geoffrey making their way over, as well as a woman looking off to the side, he couldn't make out their face properly. Jenna smiled as she approached. "Ahh, Syaoran, there is someone I would like you to meet." The lady turned and was giving him a faint smile when her eyes widened, then narrowed to a glare. Syaoran's expression mirrored hers as they said at the same time. "Oh no, it's _you_."

Jenna and Geoffrey blinked. "You two…have met?"

Mia grinned and added. "They bumped into each other in the woods yesterday."

Jenna's eyebrow arched. "Really?" She sweat dropped slightly at the two glaring daggers at each other then coughed politely. "Umm, Miss Sakura is here to purchase a horse. If you could be so kind, _Syaoran_," She gave him a long look when he glanced at her. "To assist her. We must go and finish our shopping elsewhere."

Geoffrey tried not to laugh at the horrified expressions Sakura and Syaoran had pulled their faces into and replied as he and Jenna walked off. "And Syaoran, be nice. Do try and give her a good deal."

And with that they disappeared into the crowds. 

Mia, highly amused by the recent turn of events, sat and watched as Syaoran and Sakura turned to glare once again at each other. 

"_Well, _I suppose I had better look at what you have to offer." Sakura strode over to the horses tethered along the rope and paced up and down, until she stopped in front of a dun coloured gelding. She ducked under the rope, then proceeded to check out the horse's teeth. "His teeth are good." She ran a hand down his neck, glancing back at Syaoran who was watching her like a hawk. "Has he been trained properly to be ridden and pull a carriage?"

"My brother Isaac feels it is his duty not to allow an untrained horse to leave the farm."

Sakura nodded curtly then ran a hand down the horse's leg to pick up his foot. "Is there any reason why this horse is not shod?"

Syaoran crossed his arms and replied brusquely. "The farrier was busy earlier, we were unable to have them done. We made an arrangement though. If you bring in one of our horses, he will do it for you, no charge."

Sakura gave him a cool expression. "And how am I to know if you are telling the truth? My horse will need to be shod and if it turns out you have been spinning tales, I will have to pay for it."

"Madame, I do not tell lies. Why do you insist on insulting me?"

Sakura looked shocked. "I do not insist on it at all! You bring this upon yourself!"

"Well, by all means enlighten me, _milady_, on how exactly I manage to do that!"

"_Well, _for one thing-"

"His name is Sparrow."

Syaoran and Sakura both stopped and blinked then turned as one to look at Mia, sitting on the crate, swinging her legs. "What?"

"The horse, his name is Sparrow."

Sakura blinked, looking thoroughly lost, wondering what on earth the name of the horse had to do with the argument she and Syaoran had been having, and asked. "Why 'Sparrow'?"

Mia hopped down and went over to pat Sparrow on the nose. "Because he is real fast, and whenever he was galloping through the fields back at the farm, he kept changing direction all of a sudden, just like a sparrow does when it flies." 

"Oh. Well, it is a very nice name, Mia."

She grinned impishly. "Thank you, Miss Sakura."

Sakura turned back to Syaoran. "How much are you asking for him?"

"20 cobbers."

Sakura's mouth hung open in shock. "_20?_" Cobbers were the next up in value to feathers. They were about twice the size of feathers, and much heavier. About 12 feathers' is equal to one cobber. 

"That is correct. It is a very fine horse."

"'Fine', you say. I hope by that you mean that he can cook a four course meal and knit jumpers for the cold and homeless, all while saving small children from burning buildings, for that is the only reason I see that you can charge 20 cobbers for one horse."

"Lady, if this horse could do all that, I would be charging _far_ more than just 20 coins for it."

"20 coins for a horse is outrageous! I could get full tack and a cart, as _well_ as a horse from the Wesley's for that price!"

Syaoran made an unimpressed noise in the back of his throat. The Wesley's had a small farm on the other side of town, they didn't strictly breed horses like the Jameson's, but they occasionally were seen selling some at market. "Hn, the Wesley's would agree with me that 20 coins for this horse is entirely reasonable."

"Oh really? Well, I shall just go and ask them then, shall I?" She went to turn and walk away, but Syaoran stopped her, silently cursing her for calling his bluff. "No wait!"

She turned her hands on her hips, and regarded him coolly, an eyebrow raised. 

"18 cobbers."

"_Eighteen_? I hardly find that much more of a deal than what you were asking for before."

Syaoran crossed his arms. "Fine. What do _you_ suggest, _milady_" He dragged out 'milady' and said it with more sarcasm than was really necessary.

"5 cobbers."

"_5? _Is that a joke?"

"I see nothing funny about it."

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. She had tried to stop them from arguing before, when she had suddenly interrupted with the horse's name, but it had not worked. She supposed trying to keep those two from arguing would be like trying to divert a river using a spoon.

"_8_"

"_15_"

"I am not paying 15 cobbers for a horse." She sighed, sounding long suffering. "I suppose I will have to walk home, as you seem so adamant in depriving me of a horse. All that way, and I will be practically defenseless..."

"Ha, I hardly find you defenseless…"

Sakura gave him a strange, slightly dirty look. "So, the man is smarter than he looks. But I still think I am getting ripped off." She made her expression innocent then said. "Perhaps I should go ask someone else. I believe Eriol will give me a reasonable deal." 

Syaoran tried very hard not to scowl. Damn her. Eriol was too damn polite for his own good; he would just end up giving her the horse for whatever she wanted to pay. If it were up to Eriol, they would very likely go bankrupt. Syaoran saw right through her little 'innocent façade', he knew _she knew_ that Eriol was easy to get a bargain out of. Syaoran took a deep breath. "12 cobbers, and that is my final offer." 

"Throw in a halter and it's a deal."

Syaoran and Sakura stared stubbornly at each other, neither blinking.

"_Fine_."

Sakura's lip twitched up only slightly as she held out a pouch of coins. He grabbed them off her, then went over to a cart off to the side to find a halter, muttering to himself. Mia watched him go and then turned to Sakura. "Wow, you are good at that."

Sakura shrugged. "Well, I have had a lot of practice."

Mia smiled, then froze, something odd flickering in her eyes. "Smile."

Sakura blinked. "Pardon?"

"Smile." When Sakura didn't move, Mia hooked her fingers into the edge of her mouth and pulled a very silly face. Sakura couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit.

Mia grinned, apparently satisfied. "He likes it better when you smile." And just like that, she skipped off into the crowd to her parents, leaving behind a completely mystified Sakura. 

Syaoran returned a few seconds later and put the new halter over Sparrows head. "Where did Mia go?"

Sakura waved a hand vaguely in the direction that Mia had run. "She is over there with Jenna and Geoffrey…"

Syaoran looked over, then his eyes slipped over to glance at Sakura. "Is there a reason why you look so bewildered, or is this just another ploy of yours to get something from me dirt cheap?"

Sakura snapped out of her daze and gave him another dirty look. "I do not believe I have to tell you that." She took the lead he handed to her. "I would usually say that it was a pleasure doing business with you, but I think we would both agree that I would be lying. Good day to you, sir."

Syaoran bowed so low that his hair almost touched the dirt. "And good day to you, milady. Pray that all your enemies are smart and flee quickly from your presence."

Sakura almost had to pinch herself not to laugh. Somewhat disgusted with herself for even considering such an act, she shook her head and led Sparrow over to her own stall on the other side of the market place. 

She hadn't gone far when a voice spoke up right behind her.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." 

Sakura almost jumped out of her skin. "_Eris_! _Please_ do not sneak up on me like that." 

Eris chuckled and replied. "Sorry, I did not intend to scare you. So," She said as she hopped aside to let a couple by, "What do you want to do to him?"

"Eris, we were bartering, you are supposed to argue when you barter. It does not mean I need to carry out revenge."

Eris threw her hands into the air. "Arghh! What is wrong with people nowadays! No one wants to spite anyone anymore. I am becoming thoroughly bored with the lot of you!"

"Oh come now, Eris. Surely there is other things to do than bestow vengeance."

"True, but none of it is as fun." She sighed, then turned to Sakura. "I asked Meiling and Tomoyo already, but they said they were busy, but would you like to come by my home for dinner tonight? I have not had company for some time, and I have wanted to try out this recipe I found for a while." She arched her eyebrows hopefully. 

"I know Meiling has to look after her cubs, but why did Tomoyo say she could not go?" "Someone ripped a hole in their clothing, so she agreed to have it fixed for them first thing tomorrow morning. So, can you come?"

"I would be delighted, Eris." 

They passed Jenna, Geoffrey and Mia on the way back to the stall. "Ahh, I see you have Sparrow. How much did he make you pay?"

"12 cobbers."

"12?" Jenna looked shocked. "Wow, that is actually" She frowned slightly, "_reasonable_. However did you actually get him to agree to sell the horse for that?"

Sakura shrugged. "I can be quite persuasive when I want to be."

Geoffrey chuckled. "Or maybe Syaoran has lost his touch." They talked a little more then, after saying that she would drop by later to drop off 'Horse' to the farm, she and Eris headed over to Tomoyo and Meiling at their stall. 

*

Sakura led Sparrow down the road, weaving in and out of the throngs of people. It was later in the day, and Eris had volunteered to help out at the stall, so Sakura took the opportunity to take Sparrow to Theo to be shod, and also return the things she had borrowed. Sparrow had taken quite a liking to her and her friends when she had shown him to them. Meiling, after stepping aside to have a little chat to the newest member of the witch's menagerie, declared that he was in top condition, an asset to their cause and had a great sense of humour. 

Sakura wasn't really sure what went for horse humour nowadays, but at least it kept Meiling from staring hungrily at her chickens for too long. 

Sakura saw the forge up ahead and spotted Theo standing at the entrance, his back to her, as he talked to some customers. After saying good-bye and waving them and their horses off, he turned and walked back inside, not seeing Sakura coming towards him. She came to the entrance in time to hear him start a conversation with someone inside. "Now Syaoran, about this sword of yours…" Sakura stopped so suddenly that she would have fallen flat on her face had it not been for the lead she was holding. Sparrow snorted and nudged her elbow with his nose. She sighed. 'Oh great', She thought with aversion, '_him_ again…' She seemed to be bumping into him a lot lately. And she hadn't really been _that _serious when she had mused to herself to bump into them again to give them a piece of her mind. 

Sighing again, Sakura straightened her posture, then shifted the dried and cleaned bundle of clothing that Theo had leant her into her other hand and tapped politely on the entrance door. Theo's head popped around the side of some equipment and he smiled. "Ahh, Miss Sakura! How wonderful to see you again!" He was carrying a sword in his hand that had a long red tassels tied to the hilt. 

Sakura led Sparrow forward. "Thank you for the kind words, Theo. I have come to return your things, and to have my horse shod." She glanced at the sword, then back up to Theo. "Are you busy?"

Theo smiled and beckoned her to come towards the back. "This will only take me a minute. Please, do come and sit down." Before Sakura could even think up something to protest, Sparrow's lead had been taken from her hand and Sparrow had been lead back towards the makeshift stall at the entrance, leaving Sakura and Syaoran standing there facing each other.

He should have bowed, greeted her politely then made idle comments on the weather, to which _she_ should have curtseyed and kept up her end of the frivolous banter. 

Instead, he crossed his arms and fixed her with a steady glare. _She_ sat down on a nearby chair, crossed her arms _and_ her legs and glared right back at him. Neither had blinked once when Theo returned. "Oh, I am sorry, I forgot to introduce you two, Sakura, this is-"

"We've met." She snapped. 

Theo blinked. "You have?"

Syaoran, not even taking his eyes of hers, replied. "She bought that horse off of me earlier, Theo."

"Oh really? Well, fancy that. It is a small world after all…" Theo smiled and tapped the blade he was still carrying. "This will only take me a minute." Giving his two customers a strange look, Theo walked over to his tool bench and started work on the blade. 

At first all you could hear was the sound of a stone sharpening metal until Sakura spoke up. "Was that your sword?"

Syaoran blinked, the first time since locking eyes with her when she had entered. "Sorry?"

Sakura grinned inwardly. Score one to her. She had always been rather good at staring contests… "That sword, does it belong to you?"

Syaoran stared at her, then replied primly. "I do not believe I have to tell you that." Sakura vaguely remembered saying something to that effect earlier. The nerve of that man, he was _mocking_ her. "Well, allow me to apologize. Heaven forbid I should be allowed to make polite conversation."

"Polite conversation? Ha, you were just being nosey." 

He then muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'you would not know polite conversation if it came up and bit you on the face.' Ha, he probably thought the racket Theo was now making had drowned it out. He obviously had never met Sakura and her sometimes absurdly acute hearing. 

Sakura dug her fingers into her arms to stop herself from jumping to her feet in anger. Her nostrils flared and she snarled, "I _heard_ that."

Syaoran's eyes widened and his cheeks went slightly red with embarrassment. His mouth opened then closed…then opened again and sort of _looked_ like it was going to close but didn't quite get that far, then _actually_ closed, then snapped back open. "Heard what?"

Sakura was very tempted to glare at him, but instead, she smiled at him _very_ sweetly, displaying enough pearly white teeth to make _his _teeth hurt and said. "You said that I would not know polite conversation if it came up and bit me on the face. Pray tell sir, but do you not find that somewhat ironic?"

Syaoran tried to look innocent. It was something that should not have been too difficult, but the sickly sweet smile she was sending him was throwing his nerves into disarray. So instead, he went for 'looking offended'. "Madame, you insult me by saying I would ever utter such a thing. Perhaps you should use this time to get your hearing checked."

Sakura sighed and rubbed her temples. "Tell me. Are you always this stupid, or are you just making a special effort today?" 

The man was an idiot. She was now sure of it. Usually people would be smart enough to keep their mouths shut. But this one was strange. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy provoking her, whether he seemed to actually realize he was doing it or not. 

He looked as though he wanted to retort to her little remark, but never got the chance to. Theo came over to them, leading Sparrow behind him. "All done, milady."

Sakura stood up and handed Theo the bundle of clothing. "Thank you, Theo," She curtseyed slightly and took the lead off of him. "I bid you good day." And without even giving Syaoran so much as a backward glance, she strode out, Sparrow clip-clopping behind. 

* 

Sakura sat back and sipped at her drink. "So, I bid Theo farewell and walked out." Eris wiped away a few laughter-induced tears, and looked over the table at Sakura. "Oh my, I have not laughed that much for a _long_ time."

Sakura, her tone sobering up slightly, replied. "Well, he deserved it."

Eris shook her head. "Honey, they all deserve it, one time or another." She glanced at the lengthening shadows on the tabletop, then at the clock on the wall and sighed. "Would you like to stay for a bit of a nightcap, or do you need to be on your way?"

Sakura, glancing at the clock as Eris had, sighed and nodded. "I have to get going. I said I would drop Horse off at the Jameson's sometime this afternoon, and it is already _late _afternoon." She let out a deep breath. "It is a good thing I purchased Sparrow today, I do not think Horse would have the strength to carry me if I needed him to. But before I go," She looked at Eris with a semi-serious expression, "You must give me a copy of that recipe, it was absolutely delightful." Eris grinned and went to get a sheet of paper, a feather quill and an inkpot. "Certainly. It will only take me a second." 

Sakura let her gaze wander around the room. She always liked going to Eris's, she had such interesting, and more often then not, _highly unusual_, things on her shelves. And this is coming from someone who has a talking human skull that sits on her mantel, so you can start to imagine what sort of things Eris has in her collection. Sakura frowned and stood to look closely at a label on a jar. "Does that actually say 'binzil' or am I hallucinating?" Binzil was very much like arsenic, in that it was lethal to humans, but worked slower.

"Hmm?" Eris looked up from her page then nodded when she saw the jar Sakura was holding. "I do not use it to poison anyone, but if you mix it with the vitreous humour* of a cow's eyeball, a petal of the Drellen flower, and dried rat droppings, it makes the drinker have some pretty vivid hallucinations of what they most fear."

Sakura grimaced and put the jar down. "Please never feel it necessary to tell me how you came up with that."

"Well, it's your loss. It is actually quite a funny story."

"I think I shall have to take your word on it."

There was silence for a while, as Eris finished writing out the recipe, and Sakura continued to poke around through the various odd things on Eris's shelves. "There! All done!"

"Thank you very much, Eris."

They headed to the front door. "Hey, no problem. My door is always open. Send my greetings to Tomoyo and Meiling when you get home." 

"I will. Thank you again, Eris." Sakura stepped into the street, then turned and waved. "See you later."

"Bye Sakura."

Sakura turned as Eris pulled the door shut then went over to the side gate where Horse and Sparrow were tied. Or where Horse was tied. Sakura frowned and looked around. "Where is Sparrow?" She turned around again, intent on getting Eris, when she felt an explosion of pain on the back of her head, and felt herself fall as she blacked out. The last thing she saw was the quarter moon above her, even though the sky had yet to grow dark.

**

*Gasps* It's a crisis!! DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN!!

Eh he he he…fun fun fun…

Anywho, that's it for the momento, hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! Please, please _please _review! I like reviews…reviews make me write faster…*cough cough * _blackmail _*cough cough *

D

Ciao!!

StarDragon ^-^ ^-^****

* 'Vitreous humour': according to my trusty world book, is the 'clear, jelly-like substance that occupies about 80% of the eye, which helps to maintain the shape of the eye and the pressure within the eyeball'. Hmm-mm, makes your tummy rumble just thinking of it, don't it? 


	6. Unwanted Heroics

****

Blessed Be

And here is the much awaited chapter 6…well, maybe not 'much' awaited…could be more vaguely interested to see if whether or not I'd post it out in the coming week.

…

__

Ahem...

Anywho, thanks muchly muchly, to everyone who reviewed (**SueHime, MooL, Kura-chan, kawaiitenshisakura, wicherwill, Silva Sun, GodsGirl7, sourmuggie**, sorry If I missed anyone out!)^-^, and thanks to bunni for editing. ^-^ ^-^. I don't own anything CCS or CC related…otherwise I'd be stinking rich. Which I'm not. 

There, short and sweet, 

Enjoy!! ^-^

Chapter Six: Unwanted Heroics 

Sakura bit back a groan as she came to. She had a headache the size of a horse, which didn't really make that much sense because her head just wasn't that big. She was moving oddly, and it took her a few seconds to realize that _that_ was due to the fact that she was slung, bound by rope, to the back of a horse. The rope around her arms and ankles was scratchy and just tight enough to dig into her skin but not cut off the circulation. 'How thoughtful', she thought to herself bitterly. It was then that she became aware of a pressure on her backside…

Her eyes snapped open, then narrowed. 

"_Get your damn hand off of me_…"

The man jumped, obviously not expecting her to be awake already. He glanced back and sneered at her, but didn't remove his hand. "Wouldn't want ya to fall m'lady"

Sakura's nostril's flared and hissed through gritted teeth. "I said_, get your damn, **filthy** hands off of me_." 

The man threw his head back and laughed, "Ha! I don't think so-YAAAAAARRRGGHH!" He pulled back his hand and sucked on the knuckles as Sakura mentally congratulated herself. She lowered her foot back down having kicked him squarely on the knuckles with the heel of her boot, and lifted her head to glare at the people laughing around her. There were six other men on horseback; one was trying in vain to pull Sparrow along on the end of a rope. Sparrow was tossing his head, prancing around, making a lot of noise and generally going in every direction other than where the man was trying to pull him in. Sakura eyed the men making fun of the one she had kicked, then looked Sparrow straight in the eyes and whistled. It sounded so much like a birdcall that the men took no notice of her, but instead turned to look at Sparrow, who had suddenly calmed down. The man holding the rope stared suspiciously at the now completely docile horse, then shrugged. "Well, it's about time."

"Finally got control of him, Jack?" said the man that had 'so kindly been preventing her from falling off the horse'. "I was beginin' ta think you were 'opeless."

Jack, the one holding Sparrow, scowled. "Yeah, I'd like ta see you do any better, Kennedy."

There were chuckles from the other riders, but Kennedy didn't bother to comment. 

"What do you want from me?" If Sakura's teeth were anymore clenched, her jaw probably would have snapped. 

Kennedy turned in the saddle and smirked. "It's nothin' personal m'lady. We were just passing through, saw that pretty little horse of yours and decided we liked it, when _you_ came out." He leered and continued. "It gets awful lonely on the road, if you know what I mean, and you just happened to be in the right place, at the right time." His grin widened to show a few more yellowed broken teeth. "Well, maybe not for _you_…"

Despite the fact that her head was dangling somewhere near the horse's lower hindquarters, she still quite accurately managed to spit in his face, hitting him directly on the cheek. "You have_ no _idea who you are dealing with, _pig_."

The others roared with laughter as he wiped the spittle off his cheek. He shot his comrades a dirty look before directing it to Sakura. "You will do well to bite that snappy little tongue of yours, otherwise they'll be fishing your parts out o' the river." Sakura had no doubt that they'd actually go through with that threat, once they were through with her, so she kept her mouth shut, despite how angry she actually was. 

She couldn't really see were they were; it was dark and the moonlight filtering through the trees did little to penetrate the darkness, but she could here the rushing of a river in the distance. By the sounds of it, they were near the rapids of the Chrysal River, where the river narrowed and flowed through a low rocky ravine. Sakura watched the ground go by as she considered her options. The ropes wouldn't be too much trouble, but as for the men…they may just be petty thieves, but Sakura knew from experience not to underestimate anyone. Take Eris, for example. She looked small and mousy, barely able to hurt a fly, yet say that to her face and you would likely become said fly and be facing the bottom of a highly multiplied boot. And then there was Sakura herself, who looked like just another sweet, innocent young lady…

Sakura didn't think she could control her spirits if she asked for their assistance. Even though they had their own will, they were still affected by her emotions, and the way that Sakura was quietly seething to herself, she would very likely take out the thieves, herself, her horse and a large portion of the surrounding forest. Emotions and magic were often a useful combination, but sometimes things could, and did, get out of hand. 

So using magic was out of the question. Well, she didn't do all that training for nothing, all she needed now was the right opportunity...

*

Sakura grunted as she was thrown unceremoniously onto the ground. Kennedy grabbed her by the shoulder of her dress and dragged her over to a tree so that her back and hands slammed up against the rough bark. Her nostrils flared as she took long, deep breaths. 'Not yet Sakura', she thought to herself, 'just a little bit longer…' Kennedy turned to his dismounting comrades. "Why don't ya go make ya'selves useful and catch some dinner. You can have her when I'm done." There was a general air of protest, but Kennedy yanked out a dagger from his belt and bellowed. "YOU WILL DO AS I SAY, OR I'LL SLIT YA THROATS!" Grumbling, they led their horses off through the trees, heading towards the river, leaving Sakura alone with Kennedy. Sakura eyed him through the darkness. 'Come on, you pig…just a little closer…' 

Kennedy slipped the dagger back in its sheath and casually strolled over to her. He knelt down in front of her and sneered as he regarded her. "Well, lady luck must be with me, you're the prettiest little thing I've seen for a while." He reached a hand up to caress her cheek, his thumb lowering to skim her mouth. "Such a pretty mouth, I wonder if you-"

Her nostrils flared and she bit down on his thumb, _hard. _

"YYYYAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!" He yelped and cradled his bleeding thumb, as a voice echoed from the direction of the river. "YOU OKAY, BOSS?" Kennedy scowled and bellowed, "_YOU JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND GET BACK TO WORK_!" as he tore a piece of fabric off his shirt and used it to wrap up his bleeding thumb. His eyes flashing with anger, he backhanded her across the face, then grabbed her by her dress again and threw her to the ground. "Ya little bitch, you're gonna pay for that…" He stood over her, then sat on her legs, so she couldn't kick, and grabbed her chin with more force than was really necessary. Sakura prepared to make her move when, "_Get your filthy hands off of her **now**, dog_!" 

Sakura blinked and tilted her head back to see someone on horseback come to a stop just next to her. She hadn't even heard anyone ride up. 

Kennedy scowled and looked up…into the business end of a sword. 

It was Syaoran. 

He was riding bareback on one of his horses, and looked about ready to kill. Syaoran's amber eyes flashed with anger as he glared menacingly at Kennedy, whose eyes couldn't seem to pull away from the point of the sword hovering just millimetres from his nose. When Syaoran spoke, his voice was so quiet and menacing that it sent a cold shiver down Sakura's spine. "You will get off of her, return her horse and leave. And if I ever see you around here again, I will not hesitate to gut you like a fish." He flicked the blade up so that it danced right in front of Kennedy's eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"

Kennedy hesitated for a second, and had opened his mouth to answer when a voice, growing in both anger and volume, cut him off. "You _disgusting_, _arrogant, **rat-faced,** **son of a PIG'S ASS**_!" 

Syaoran and Kennedy both blinked and looked down at Sakura, who looked so angry that she might just explode and turn the Villaar forest into a large smoking crater. 

And she was directing this anger right at Syaoran. 

"_Do I look like I need your help_?" She growled through gritted teeth. 

Syaoran wondered for one brief, insane moment if he should ask her whether that was a trick question or not. Her horse had been stolen and she had been kidnapped. Her cheek was starting to bruise badly from the blow that filthy, disgusting dog had dealt her. Said filthy, disgusting dog was sitting on her legs, moments away from having his way with her, and yet she was looking at _him_ like he was the bad guy! 

Syaoran, all trace of anger and loathing towards pig/dog man, looked completely lost and replied. "Well, _yes_, as a matter of fact."

Sakura scowled at him, "I can take care of myself," sat up and head-butted Kennedy right on his nose. Kennedy rolled off her and howled once again, as he clutched at his now profusely bleeding nose. "You bitch!" Sakura just glared at him as she kicked her legs up and used the momentum gained to get onto her feet. Kennedy, clutching his bleeding nose with his bleeding hand, stumbled, then ran off into the woods. Syaoran, in too much of a daze to even attempt to stop the escaping thief, turned to look at Sakura in awe. She twisted her body and pulled her arms over her head, then reached into the top of her dress, and pulled out a dagger. She quickly slashed at the ropes around her ankles, then held the dagger hilt between her boots so that she could cut through the ropes around her wrists. 

To say that Syaoran was at a loss for words would be an understatement. Sakura, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same problem. "_You arrogant **boar**_. _I had everything under control_! _And_ _how did you know where I was_? _Were you **following** me_?"

Syaoran looked thoroughly lost then insulted and then somewhat irate. "_Pardon_?" He scowled, his cheeks going red. "Well, _excuse us _for worrying about you when you did not drop by like you said!" Sakura's eyebrow rose up slowly, but Syaoran wasn't finished. "You know, _I_ actually tried to tell everyone that you could take care of yourself, and _they_ have known you for longer, so do not get angry with _me_!" He threw his hands into the air. "And I apologize, I really do, for worrying about you _anyway_, when I saw you SLUMPED UNCONSCIOUS ON THE BACK OF SOME STINKING PIGS HORSE, BEING CARTED OFF INTO THE FOREST!" His expression was half-mad and he was panting. 

Sakura was somewhat flabbergasted. 'Well then', she thought in bewilderment, 'There you go…' She turned sharply at the sounds of yelling and scowled. "Oh great, and now we have to run." She stuck two fingers into her mouth and let out a loud, shrill whistle. There was an answering call of a horse, surprised yelling then the sound of rapid hoof beats. Sakura turned and ran towards the once again bewildered, red-in-the-cheek Syaroan. "DON'T JUST SIT THERE, YOU IDIOT! GET GOING!" She slapped Wolf on the rump as she passed, almost making Syaoran go flying off when Wolf sprang into a gallop. He could do nothing but hang on as Wolf bolted off through the trees, leaving her behind. But just as he was losing sight of her, he saw Sparrow bolt towards her, dragging a long length of rope, followed closely by the gang of theives. Syaoran gaped in awe as she grabbed onto the saddle of her horse as he sped by and flipped herself up into the saddle. As Sparrow caught up with Syaoran, she leaned forward and untied the rope hanging from Sparrows reins, then turned and flung it at their pursuers. The lead horse reared, probably thinking the rope was a snake or something, and tossed his rider into the underbrush, before galloping off in a different direction. The rest of the riders didn't even stop to help their fallen comrade, but continued on in pursuit. 

Sakura smirked as she turned back around so she could see where she was going, then yanked the reins to the side so that Sparrow went to the left. Syaoran used his knees to guide Wolf in the same direction and yelled out. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

Sakura, keeping her eyes determinably ahead, yelled back. "TO MY PLACE!"

Was she insane? "ARE YOU INSANE? THEY ARE RIGHT BEHIND US! YOU'LL LEAD THEM STRAIGHT THERE!"

Sakura scowled and gave him brief, irritated look. "NO I WON'T. THEY WILL GET LOST!"

Yep, that proved it. She was completely _nuts_. 

Syaoran gave a frustrated yell and leaned back, causing Wolf to come to a sudden halt, then turned to face the thieves. Sakura pulled Sparrow to a stop. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Syaoran eyed the now laughing thieves as they quickly surrounded him and Sakura and said in a low voice so that only she could hear it. "We can not risk it. There are too many of them to assume that they will just get lost. Have some _sense_, girl."

Sakura, shaking with anger, took a long, _deep_ breath and closed her eyes. They had been so _close_. Only about a 100 yards or so and they would have passed through the barrier. She and her 'rescuer' would have reached the cottage safe, and their pursuers would have ended up somewhere far, far away, hopefully never to be seen again. But no, _oh no_, things just couldn't be that neat and simple, could they? Mr. Heroic wanted to be the big man and save the 'damsel in distress'. _Ha_. She'd show _him_ distressed… 

*

Knowing full well that he had just insulted his somewhat unusual companion again, Syaoran brought up his blade and eyed the leering thieves circling them. At this current moment in time, he didn't really care if he had just given her pride a beating, he was more concerned with keeping her and himself alive. 

But what was she thinking? He had really thought she was smarter than that. 

He saw her, in the corner of his eye, pull out another dagger from her boot. "Leave this to me, Sakura, I do not want you to get hurt." The look she gave him was nothing short of enraged and as quick as a flash, she hurled the dagger right at him…. Well, for a quick, heart stopping moment he had thought she was aiming at him, but the blade whizzed past him; so close to his ear that he heard the low whine it made as it sliced through the air. Someone behind him howled in pain and Syaroan turned to see one of the thieves; who dropped a bow and an arrow obviously aimed for his back, fall to the ground with the aforementioned dagger stuck in his arm. Syaoran, wide eyed, turned to look at Sakura, who was looking rather smug as she leant down and pulled yet _another_ dagger from her _other_ boot. As his somewhat bewildered mind wondered just how many knives this girl actually had on her, Syaoran raised his sword just in time to parry a machete, and then the real fight was on. He just prayed that she actually _could_ take care of herself like she had said…

*

Sakura ducked and kicked out a leg, digging the corner of her heel into the shin of her closest opponent, then reached up into her plait and pulled out a small thin blade. Ducking down once again to avoid knife that had been swung toward her head, she quickly sliced through leather girth strap holding the saddle onto the horse and grabbed the man's knee, pushing it up. He yelped and he and the saddle slid off the other side. Using her knees to steer, Sakura wheeled Sparrow around and, intent on getting Syaoran's attention so they could make a run for it (as much as a small voice in her head insisted that she should just leave him), when her breath caught in her throat. Clangs and metallic ringing cut through the air as he fought off two thieves at once, but he was so caught up in his fight that he did not see a third, aiming an arrow right for him. Sakura kicked Sparrow into a gallop and flicked her dagger up, so that she held it by the blade-tip, then threw it hard…just as the arrow left the bow. "NO!"

The hilt of the dagger hit the archer right between the eyes, knocking him out cold as she bit back a gasp of shock. Syaoran's front was quickly becoming covered in blood, the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, but he was still fighting…he did not even seem to notice it. The two thieves fighting him had paused slightly with shocked looks on their faces, giving Syaoran the opportunity to hit them both over the head with the hilt of his sword. The both slumped off their saddles, unconscious, as Sakura rode up to Syaoran. "Are you okay?"

Syaoran looked momentarily taken back by this show of concern. "Yes…a little sore, but otherwise fine."

Sakura gaped at him in shock. "_A little sore_?? YOU HAVE AN ARROW STICKING OUT OF YOUR SHOULDER!" 

Syaoran blinked, and looked down. His eyebrows rose so high, so quickly, that they almost cleared his head. "Oh…would you look at that…" He frowned and blinked. "Actually, that is starting to hurt…" He winced and grabbed his shoulder. "Ow…quite a lot actually…"

Sakura was very tempted to roll her eyes, but managed to stop herself. 

"You little bitch!" Sakura turned to look at a downed thief behind her. It was one of the ones she had previously knocked unconscious. He scowled at her as he touched a fat bottom lip and pulled himself up into the saddle of one of the horses milling around. She sighed as she heard the sounds of approaching hoof beats. Some of the ones they had left behind previously where obviously still intent on pursuing them. 

"They just will not give up, will they…" she muttered to herself as she clutched the reins and kicked Sparrow into a gallop. "COME ON!"

Syaoran didn't have a chance to object because Wolf, possibly trying to avoid being slapped in the rump again by Sakura, had jumped into a gallop and followed along beside Sparrow obediently. Syaoran cringed as the sudden movement jolted his shoulder, but didn't say anything, and merely clutched onto Wolf's mane with his free hand to stop falling off. They said nothing as they rode swiftly between the trees, until Sakura suddenly pulled back on the reins and slowed to a trot.

"What are you doing?" He winced, his fingers digging into his arm. "They are still behind us!"

Sakura scowled at him as she rode closer to him to inspect his shoulder. "If you would shut your trap for just one second," Her eyes flicked up into his to give him a glare, as she batted away his hand and tugged at his shirt and jacket to look at the wound itself, "You would hear that they are no longer behind us." Syaoran blinked and snapped his mouth shut. 

She was right. He could no longer hear any hoof beats, besides those made by their two horses. Though it was a relief that they were no longer being pursued, it did strike him as strange that he could no longer hear them at all. If the thieves _had_ actually decided that they were more trouble than they were worth and had left, surely he should still be able to hear the sounds of their _retreat_. But he could hear nothing of the sort. 

He was about to ask her about it when a wave of nausea hit him when she touched the injury itself. "Ohh…" She quickly placed a hand on his chest to steady him when he swayed. "I do not feel so good."

"Well, try to stay awake for a little while longer. We are almost there." Though slightly delirious from the pain, Syaoran felt his lips turn up in a little smile. She sounded concerned, about him…and that made him oddly happy. 

Sakura eyed him warily. He had the oddest little smile on his face, and she wondered briefly if it was such a good idea to take him to her home. For all she knew, he could be a raving lunatic, and here she was, about to willingly invite him into her home. But still, she wasn't one to ignore someone who genuinely needed her help. Even if the idiot did seem unable to grasp the concept that she was perfectly able to look after herself. She supposed if she helped him, he would survive, so she could yell at him later. 

She glanced down towards the ground when she heard a strange noise. Meeko had joined them at some point, and was trotting along side of Sparrow's hooves. "Oh good, I was hoping you would turn up." She leant down and lowered her voice some more so that only Meeko could hear her. "I need you to find Illusion and tell him to cover everything. I do not want Prince Charming over there," She jerked her head slightly towards Syaoran, whose head was starting to drop onto his chest. "To find out too much about us. He might not be trustworthy. Do you understand?" Meeko blinked, then bounded into a bush.

"Did you say something?"

Sakura sat back up straight and glanced at Syaoran, who was looking worse by the second. "Uhh, no, I did not. You must be delirious, you poor dear." She knew she was messing with his head, she didn't _want_ to mess with his head, but she could not very well tell him she had been talking to a cat. Syaoran's brow furrowed in confusion, but he didn't press the subject, much to Sakura's relief. 

Finally, the cottage came into view. She sighed inaudibly with relief. She saw her two chickens dozing in an overturned box someone had placed as a makeshift hen house in the front garden as she rode past, before she pulled Sparrow to a stop by the front door and dismounted. She had to catch Syaoran when he slid of his horse, his legs collapsing under him and causing him to lose his balance. He had dropped his sword in the process so, juggling both him and the blade, she helped him walk. "Well, come inside, I will take care of the horses once I have sat you down." He grunted in reply as she lead him inside. 

The kitchen was almost nauseating. 

Meeko had obviously been able to call the spirit of Illusion (for some reason, her spirits obediently listened to Meeko as well as to her.) to cover up everything that was remotely witchy, but that was pretty much everything in the kitchen. Strangely enough, when Sakura used illusion, all she could see was the illusion pattern, and not the details on the object. In other words, if Sakura asked Illusion to create say, a teacup, she would see the illusion pattern (that which had been featured on the Illusion card) in the shape of a teacup. As for anyone else, they would see a teacup covered in a fancy design of flowers and birds and such. 

Syaoran looked up muzzily as she sat him down on a chair and placed his sword on the table. "Why is the room all shimmery?" 

Sakura felt her stomach clench. "Wh-what?"

He sat back and closed his eyes. "Sorry…I must be seeing things…it just looked like the room was covered in all this…strange pattern…" He frowned, swayed slightly before finishing rather dumbly, "thing..."

"Ahh…you are hallucinating…_illusion_…" She hissed under her breath, "_Illusion_ _get your butt here right now_!" A small child-like spirit stepped out of the wall and smiled at Sakura. One of the few male spirits, he was wearing a top hat, and a pair of black pants and jacket, a white shirt with a black bow tie, and a cape. The cape was covered with the pattern that used to be on the Illusion card. He twirled a black stick with white bits on the ends in his fingers as he waited for instructions. Sakura glanced at Syaoran to make sure he wasn't watching, then turned to hiss at the spirit of Illusion. "_Take away all the illusion's…he is not seeing them properly_!"

Illusions eyebrows shot up in surprise, then the smile returned as he grabbed the edge of his cape and swirled it around dramatically. He disappeared as the cape swirled up over his face, and with him went all the illusions he had created to cover the kitchen. She sighed as Syaoran opened his eyes. "Oh…that's better…" There was a brief pause before he added. "Is that a human skull?"

Sakura's eyes widened. 

"Why is its eyes glowing like that?"

"Uhh…candles!"

"Candles?"

"Yes, candles! Inside the skull!" She frowned. Sometimes her mind could be as sharp as a knife, but other times… "uhh…it is an old family tradition." 

"Why are flames blue then?"

Sakura's eyes widened even more. She jumped up suddenly and stood so that she was blocking his view of Hermand and started to inch backwards. "Blue? Oh, sometimes…uhhh…insects! Yes! Insects fall into the flame and make it turn blue." She felt like holding her head in her hands and shaking her head. That excuse was absolutely _pathetic_. She felt the heat of the fire as her hands bumped into the bricks above the fireplace. She quickly grabbed Hermand and held his mouth shut. "Or dust-ah-_and_ dust…insects and dust. Ah-hahahaha. Must clean this thing better, I suppose." She could feel Hermand trying to resist her, as Syaoran gave her an odd look. "What are you doing?"

"I was cold." She tried to look angry. "Are you trying to tell me that I can not stand in front of my own fireplace?"

Syaoran held up a hand in defense. "No, of course not. I apologize." Sakura glanced behind her and saw that Hermand's eyes had returned to their usual orange glow. She caught herself just before she sighed with relief. After shooting her a rather potent glare, Hermand's glowing eyes narrowed to slits so thin that you could barely see the light in them at all. She sighed mentally; thank God he was smart enough not to say anything in front of her visitor, before going over to the shelves to take down a number of jars. She cradled the jars, and a tall slender bottle in the crook of her arm, then took down a metal box that held clean strips of material for bandages and a pair of sharp scissors. Due to the seriousness of his wound, it would take a few days or so to heal properly, even when using one of Tomoyo's best medicinal potions. 

Sakura frowned slightly. Come to think of it, where _were_ Meiling and Tomoyo. She knew that Meeko would have gotten Kero to hide, but Meiling and Tomoyo certainly wouldn't have had to do the same thing. And it was not like it was so late in the night that they'd worry about her and have gone looking for her. Sakura had been out much later than this without causing concern. 

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she placed the jars, the box, and a tall bottle onto the table, then pulled up a chair so that she was sitting facing Syaoran. He had stopped swaying, but his skin was pale and slightly sweaty. She glanced down at his blood stained shirt and jacket, then picked up the pair of scissors. "I hope you are not too attached to those."

He glanced at the scissors, then at her. "Well, they are covered in blood anyway…do what you must."

She cut swiftly into the fabric of both the jacket, and the shirt underneath, and grimaced when she pulled them off. Blood was trickling down his chest quite quickly. No wonder he was so pale. She dropped the jacket on the ground, then bundled up the ruined shirt and held it up against the wound to slow the bleeding. He winced at the pressure. She frowned at him. "I have to do this, otherwise you will bleed to death and I must say, I am far too tired to have to dispose of your corpse if that just so happens to occur."

He grimaced as he took the bundled shirt from her and pressed it to the wound himself. "Oh, that is very reassuring, thanks..."

Shaking her head slightly, Sakura took his shoulder gently so she could examine it in the firelight. He sucked in a breath and gritted his teeth when she started to prod the area around the arrow shaft. It hadn't gone all the way through but she suspected it wasn't too far off it, but still, Syaoran was in for a lot of pain. 

She glanced at him then went to grab something off of the table when she 'accidentally' knocked the metal box holding the bandages onto the floor. "Oops! Silly, clumsy me…" Bending down as though to pick up the fallen box, she quickly hissed under her breath. "Spirit of Sleep, Make his eyes feel heavy, his mind relax. Lull him into a dreamless slumber. I beseech thee." She sat up quickly and put the box on the table, just as the tiny sleep spirit appeared just above Syaoran's head in a swirl of blue dust. Smiling, she waved her wand and covering his head with a fine blue dust that disappeared as soon as it touched his head. 

Sakura watched him expectantly, waiting for his head to drop. He caught her watching him. "Is there something wrong?"

Sakura glanced up at Sleep, who, looking just as confused as Sakura felt, was looking at her wand as though there was something wrong with it, then back at Syaoran. "Aren't you feeling tired?"

Syaoran grimaced. "No, not really…the pain is rather keeping me awake actually…"

First he doesn't see illusions, and now this…who _was_ this man? She saw Sleep dump some more blue dust on his head, but it was as ineffective as before. Sleep grimaced and looked over to Sakura, and swung her wand like a bat, obviously asking Sakura whether she wanted her to just hit him over the back of the head to knock him out. Sakura shook her head only slightly and frowned. The sleep spirit shrugged and disappeared in a swirl of dust. 

This had never happened to her before. The spirit of Sleep had never been unable to put someone to sleep; even someone in immense pain had never caused problems before. She had treated hundreds of people and animal's without trouble before, so why wasn't it working on him? 

She supposed she would just have to use Tomoyo and Meiling's method of using certain herbs to lull patients to sleep. Raxten seeds, if she remembered correctly, crushed and mixed with milk, was what she needed. She stood up and went over to the shelf, smiling slightly as she found a jar labeled 'Raxten Seeds', then pulled off the lid.

The jar was empty.

Sakura cursed under her breath. It figured. 

Stuff like that _would_ happen to her, wouldn't it?

She put the empty jar back on the shelf, and went to sit back down in her chair. She sighed, then looked at Syaoran steadily. "Just so you know, I can not just pull that arrow out."

Syaoran frowned, and if possible, his skin went a little paler. "Why not?"

"Well, if I just pulled it out, the arrowhead is likely to come off, and then you are going to suffer for a very long time while it works its way out of your shoulder."

He stayed silent for a second, then spoke up. "Please tell me you are not suggesting what I think you are suggesting." 

She smiled grimly and didn't answer. The problem with some arrows, such as the one now stuck quite firmly in Syaoran's shoulder, is that you can't just _pull_ them out. Well, you _could_, but then the arrowhead is likely to come off, left _inside_ the body. And the arrow hadn't penetrated right through his shoulder. _Yet_. 

Understandably, Syaoran was in for a rough time. 

She rolled up a swatch of leather and made him bite down on it, before taking hold of the arrow shaft. "This might…sting a little," Without waiting for any conformation, she pushed.

His muffled screams echoed throughout the house and out into the stillness of the night, as he bit clean through the roll of leather in his mouth. Then he swayed as he passed out and slumped forward…right on top of Sakura. She had to grab hold of the tabletop to stop from being tipped backward onto the floor because of his added weight. She shot Hermand a glare when she heard him sniggering at her. "It would be a very wise move to stop that, Hermand."

"Oh really? It seems you have your hands quite full at the moment…what could you do to me?" She lifted a free hand to point at the skull. "Jawbone."

Hermand's surprised squawk was cut off suddenly as his jawbone detached itself from his skull, became airborne then floated over to Sakura's hand. Hermand could do nothing but glare at her as she placed the jawbone on the table, then went about doing something with her passed out patient. 

It figured he would pass out now. And it would not surprise her if Meiling and Tomoyo just happened to return home. It wouldn't matter that he was injured and bleeding quite profusely, all they would see was Sakura with a sweaty, shirtless man draped on top of her. She managed to push him back onto his chair, then used the opportunity to work on the wound while he was unconscious. The arrowhead, now poking out the other side of his shoulder, came off just as easily as she had suspected, and after dropping it into an empty bowl, she grabbed the arrow shaft again and pulled it out. It came out cleanly, much to her relief, so she set to work cleaning up the wound and smearing it with a thick dark green paste from one of the jars she had brought over. He started to stir just as she was applying the first roll of bandages. He grunted and spat out the leather roll. "Sting a little…_sting a little_ _she says…_" One eye rolled up to fix her with a stare. "If there is ever anything you have to do to me, that you think will cause excruciating amounts of pain, then _please,_ I beg you, just send me along to the executioner. I do not think I will be able to take it."

"I shall keep that in mind." She replied dryly as she tied off the end of the bandage. "There, how does that feel?"

He touched the bandages, "Much better actually," then rotated his shoulder, cringed and gasped in pain as he did so. "Argh…unless I do something stupid like that, of course."

Sakura gave him a stern look as she packed away the unused lengths of bandage back into the box. "Yes, well, you will have to go easy on that shoulder for a while. Even if the skin looks healed, the muscle underneath will take longer to properly regenerate." She uncorked the tall bottle and poured some liquid into a mug and handed it to him. "Here, drink this, it will help." It was one of the healing elixirs they usually didn't give out to strangers, but Sakura wanted him to get strong enough and well enough to be able to get on his way as soon as possible. It also helped make the drinker become drowsy, so they could have a restful sleep. 

Syaoran took the mug and eyed the mixture inside. It was murky, a very unattractive shade of green/brown and had a very _distinct_ odor. "What is it?"

Sakura scowled in annoyance. "I just told you! It will help!"

"How do I know you are not lying?" He leaned forward, a suspicious look on his face. "You might be trying to poison me."

She wasn't really sure if he was just playing with her or not. In any case, her nerves felt about ready to snap; she wasn't in the mood for silly games. "Look, if I had wanted to kill you, I would sooner have just left you out there in the forest to bleed to death." She pinched the top of her nose and muttered. "At least then I would not have had to put up with you."

Syaoran eyed her for a second, shrugged and tipped the mug to take a mouthful, then sprayed said mouthful all over the table. He grimaced. "Uggh. That tastes disgusting!"

Sakura grimaced at the potion now sprayed liberally over the tabletop then tried to look innocent. "Oh, did I forget to mention that?" 

Syaoran gave her a dark look then placed the mug on the table. "Just forgot, did you?"

Sakura picked up the mug and thrust it back into his hand. "You have to drink it."

He slammed them mug onto the tabletop. "No."

Sakura replied through slightly gritted teeth. "_I said_, you have to drink it."

"And I said, _no_."

"_Drink it_."

"_No_."

"**_Drink it_**!"

"Nope! Not one more drop of that foul concoction is passing my lips." He closed his mouth tight, his arms crossed and his eyes slightly sparkling with mirth as she glared at him through narrowed eyes. He had no idea _why_ he was intentionally annoying her; he just found that it was a lot of fun. 

"Fine." She picked up the mug in one hand and, instead of tipping it back into the bottle like he had been expecting, she pinched his nostrils shut with her other hand. Syaoran's eyes widened as she held the mug just in front of his mouth, waiting for him to open it when he had to take a breath. She smiled smugly at him as he glared at her, his cheeks puffing out and going red as he stubbornly tried to hold his breath. 

Ooh, she was _nasty_. 

He reached up and tried to pry her hands away, but she had an iron like grip on his nose, and he would sooner move a mountain than the hand holding the mug near his mouth.

"You know, it is for your own good. There really is no need to act like a child."

He glared at her, his cheeks starting to go an interesting shade of blue. He lasted for about 30 seconds more until he just couldn't take it anymore and opened his mouth to take a big, gasping breath, before stuttering and gagging when she poured the rancid liquid into his mouth. He swallowed, shuddering as it slid down his throat and grimaced. Sakura patted him on the head as though he was a small child or animal and said. "There's a good boy." 

Ignoring the somewhat degrading comment, he said instead, wiping his tongue on the roof of his mouth to try and get rid of the taste, "That is absolutely _foul_."

Sakura stood up and started to replace the jars and bottles and things back on the shelves. "Oh come on, it is not that bad."

"Yes it is. It tastes like something rotten has died in my mouth and invited friends." He grimaced and coughed. "Surely you can give me something to get rid of the taste?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, then pulled down a large tin container. "Oh fine, if you are going to be such a big baby." Inside the container was a hard brown slap of something that smelled faintly sweet. She would sooner have just given him some fruit, but she didn't want to leave him alone in the kitchen while she went to the greenhouse to pick some. She snapped off a corner and handed it to him. "Here, eat this."

He took the lump and looked at it suspiciously, then glanced up at Sakura for an explanation. 

She sighed. "It is called chocolate. We had helped out a group of travelers and while ago and they gave us the recipe as thanks." She broke off another piece and popped it in her mouth. "It tastes nice and sweet, and it will get rid of that drinks taste." 

He looked down at it, and after a moments thought, popped it into his mouth and chewed. He blinked, chewed again, then seemed to be licking his back molars. He looked up at her, his eyebrows coming together as he gave her a hopeful look. "May I have some more?"

Sakura rolled her eyes again and sighed, then handed him another, bigger, slab of the chocolate. 'Men' she thought irritably, ' they can be such children.' She glanced at Syaoran, who indeed had a very childlike grin on his face as he happily devoured another piece. 'Or maybe it is just him…'

"Now, you can have my room for the night. I will go tend to the horses. I recommend that you go have some sleep."

"My lady, please, I will just sleep out here. I will be fine."

Sakura rubbed her temples. "Look, can we just pretend I argued my case long and hard and won? I have a headache coming on and I would very much like to go get cleaned up and get some sleep."

"But-"

She shot him a glare.

He thankfully didn't protest again, so she led him down the hall and showed him her room. It was quite a spacious room, with a small window looking out into the forest. Her four poster bed sat up against the right wall and a small bedside table sat next to it. A mirror hung on the opposing wall, beneath which sat a dressing table. A trunk sat at the end of the bed, and sitting under the window, was a bowl of water on a stand. He turned as she stood at the door. "Sleep well."

He smiled at her as she closed the door. "Goodnight, Sakura. And thank you for helping me." He was sure he had seen her smile, a proper smile, just a little, as the door closed in front of her. 

*

Meiling yawned as she changed back into a human and pushed open the door. Her two cubs, Chi, Anya and finally Tomoyo, followed along behind. "Well, I am about ready to have a nice long sleep. How about you?"

Tomoyo started to hang up the bundles of herbs she had collected on string around the kitchen. Meiling had been out teaching her cubs to hunt, and she had been out picking herbs, having found that they were fresh out of Raxten seeds. "That sounds good. I hope Sakura did not worry too much because we were out for so long-oh." She blinked when she saw Sakura curled up beneath a rug on an armchair, in front of the dying fire. 

Meiling came over to look at their deeply sleeping friend. "Do you think she was waiting up for us?"

Tomoyo shrugged, then gasped when a flicker of firelight revealed a large bruise on her cheek. She held a hand to her mouth. "Look at her cheek!" Meiling, having lit a candle, brought it closer to Sakura's face. She sucked in a breath. "What _happened_ to her?" 

Tomoyo shook her head, then knelt down and gently shook Sakura on the shoulder. "Sakura…wake up, Sakura…"

Sakura groaned in her sleep and snuggled into the arm of the chair, but didn't wake up. 

"Come on Sakura, wake up."

Sakura's brow creased in a frown, but all she did was grunt.

Meiling, looking concerned, said after a moments thought. "Maybe we should just take her to bed. She can tell us what happened in the morning." 

Sakura grunted and mumbled, her voice sleepy, "Can't…Syaoran…" She made a small noise in the back of her throat, as if attempting to say something else and drifted back to sleep. Tomoyo, her eyebrow raised, glanced at Meiling, who just shrugged confused and pointed towards the hallway. Tomoyo nodded as they both stood up and crept down the hall to Sakura's bedroom. The door creaked slightly as if in protest as they pushed it open and poked their heads in. 

Both jaws immediately hit the ground.

There was Syaoran, someone who they had only met very briefly that day, lying fast asleep on Sakura's bed. The blankets came up just past his navel revealing his bandage wrapped chest in the shaft of moonlight filtering through the window. Meeko was curled around his head on the pillow, like a large furry cap. Tomoyo and Meiling stepped back, not noticing as Anya and Chi streaked between them and into the room, and closed the door. They stood in the hallway, looks of complete shock on their faces, the previous concern of Sakura's condition momentarily forgotten.

"There is a man in Sakura's bed." 

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes…it appears so…"

Meiling did not seem to be able to grasp the concept. "There is a _man_ in _Sakura's_ bed…"

Tomoyo put her forefinger to her cheek. "I believe I saw bandages…perhaps he was injured and Sakura felt it best if he stayed here overnight?"

"There is _man_ in Sakura's _bed_."

Tomoyo gave Meiling a stern look. "Oh, get over it Meiling. It is not that shocking."

"Yes it is. As I remember correctly, Sakura said she would rather stick her head into a bee's hive than willingly bring a man to this cottage, and here we have one sleeping in her _bed_." She had a mildly impressed look on her face. "Well, I must say, she certainly moves fast doesn't she? We only just met him today." 

Tomoyo whacked her lightly on the arm. "Meiling! That is disgraceful!"

Meiling just gave her an innocent expression, as though her claim was perfectly reasonable. "What?"

"He had bandages. And Sakura had that dreadful bruise. Obviously they were injured in some way and Sakura felt it her duty to help."

"Or maybe things got a little fris-"

"_Bite your tongue_! You should be ashamed that you are thinking such things about our dear Sakura!"

"Ha. I bet that was the first thing that went through your mind when you saw him."

"I assure you that my mind is not wallowing in the gutter as much as yours. Now come", she turned swiftly on her heel and strode to the kitchen. "I am sure she has a perfectly reasonable explanation if we just ask her properly." 

And she did. After managing to rouse her properly from her sleep, she explained it all. From her dinner at Eris's, to how she was kidnapped by the thieves. How her 'rescuer' had been shot by an arrow and how he had ended up sleeping in her bed. Sakura looked at them sternly. "Now, if you two would kindly go off to bed, I would _really_ like to go back to sleep."

They finally did so, after protesting a little when Sakura turned down the offers of the use of their own beds, and strode off down the hall.

Just as she was turning into her room, her cubs following at her heels, Meiling muttered to Tomoyo. "He seemed to be sleeping pretty deeply for just having drunk a medicinal draft…I still think they wore each other out by-"

"I can _hear_ you, you know…"

Meiling squeaked and jumped into her bedroom, as Tomoyo chuckled and went into hers. 

Sakura shook her head and pulled her blanket up to her chin. You had to worry about Meiling…sometimes she was too outspoken for her own good.

*

Eris landed in the canopy of a tall leafy tree and tucked her broomstick into a crevice created by two branches. Once she had it secure, she lowered herself down until she could clearly see the sleeping group below her, but was still sheltered enough by the leaves if any of them happened to wake up. They were a sorry looking bunch. One had a swollen nose, several bruises and a bleeding thumb, and another had bloodstained bandages wrapped haphazardly around their shoulder. Another had a small oddly square shaped bruise on their forehead. As for the rest, well, they just looked generally worse for wear. Eris smiled evilly as she pulled a fat pouch out of one of her long billowy sleeves. Strictly speaking, she needed Sakura's permission to do this, but Eris was more than willing to make an exception under the circumstances. _No one_ messes with her friends and gets away with it. Admittedly, the thieves were probably already regretting kidnapping her, but well…too bad. Eris's blue crystal pendant; which glowed whenever someone was feeling particularly angry because of something someone had done to them, had been glowing all night like a small sun. She ended up having to shut it in a chest. When she had consulted her scrying pool to see whom exactly was feeling angry, she had almost tipped it over in shock when she had seen Sakura and the thieves. She was relieved that Sakura was okay, and had watched with interest as she had later taken care of her patient, but had quickly become angry again when she remembered just how angry Sakura had been. Sakura wasn't really one to get angry often. Sure, she was quick to irritate, but being irritated was different to being angry. And Sakura had been _seething_.

She titled her head to the side and regarded the one with the broken nose. "Hmm…your name is Kennedy…but dog and pig suits you quite well." She scratched her chin in thought. "I think dog suits you best." She grinned maliciously and pulled out a handful of powder from the pouch and sprinkled it over his slumbering form. He sneezed in his sleep and whimpered…then whimpered again, but it sounded less human than it had the first time. He curled up, as if cold, and whimpered a third time, as his ears elongated, and dark fur started to sprout all over his face. 

A few seconds later a mangy dog lay where Kennedy had once been. Eris scratched her chin. "The mind of a filthy disgusting man stuck inside the body of a dog…hmm…doesn't quite seem enough…" She grinned evilly again as a thought occurred to her. She sprinkled a bit more powder over the mangy creature and nodded satisfied. "There. The mind of a filthy disgusting man stuck inside the body of a _female_ dog. "Now, let's see how _he_ likes being violated…"

She moved onto the next one…her malicious grin never leaving her face.

An hour later, she sat back to survey her work. 

There was a man stuck inside the body of a female dog sleeping fitfully next to a man how would soon find out that he now had a high pitched voice, similar to that of a three year old girl. Another man was now missing a certain piece of the anatomy that one usually used to define whether someone was actually male.

Next to him sat a man now turned into a cane toad, and sitting directly next to _him_ was a man turned into a snake fond of toads.

The one Sakura had hit in the forehead with the hilt of her dagger, (whom had shot Syaoran with the arrow) and had left quite a distinct, hilt-shaped bruise on his forehead, now had a bruise that quite distinctly read 'Horse's ass'. She made it so it would never heal and would not be able to be covered by make up or clothing. (If any item of clothing were ever utilized to cover it up, they would be blown off immediately by sudden, mysterious and very selective gusts of wind.) 

And last but not least, lay a formerly quite handsome man, now with extremely large (so large that they no longer allowed him to properly close his mouth) front teeth, ears that looked like they had spent too much time in the sun and had withered up. A mole the size of a sultana on the tip of his now outrageously bulbous nose (with a big, thick, black hair growing out of it) and hands so small that they looked as though they belonged to a child. (She briefly thought that she might have overdone it with the last one, but wasn't about to change anything.)

Smiling with satisfaction, she tucked the now quite empty pouch back up her sleeve, then clambered up the tree to her awaiting broom. She hovered over the treetops and, grinning to herself, let out quite a witchy sounding cackle before flying off into the night.

She just hoped she would get back to her scrying pool before they woke up…

**

D eh hehehehe, serves them right for hurting poor Syao-chan… D D

Wow…I actually managed to get 12 pages out of this chapter. I am quite pleasantly surprised. *shrugs * I didn't think it would be that long…Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I had quite a lot of fun writing this chapter… ^-^ ^-^ Please review! ^-^

Anyway, ciao!

StarDragon 

P.S. By the way, you know about cane toads right? Well, if you don't, they are extremely poisonous. So, cane toad boy will be eaten by snake, snake boy will die of cane toads poison…Just in case you were confused by that bit…

Ain't I a stinker? D D 


	7. Secrets, Snow and Talking Skulls

****

Blessed Be

Chapter Seven: Secrets, Snow and Talking Skulls…

Right, let's cut to the chase shall we? A very BIG **_THANK YOU_** to: **mia**, **Aaruki-chan**, **kawaii-kitty**, **Ice Blue Eyes**, **Kura-chan**, **MooL **(or Bunni, and yes I did know who you were, but I figured, you reviewed as well, so you deserved a mention here ^_~), **Kawaiitenchisakura**, **SueHime**, **Argentum Sol **(it took me a while to find you when you changed your name, the computer was being a baka and wouldn't pull up your stories or anything. But I found ya at last!!! Weee!!) **Wicherwill**, **Godsgirl7** and **Sourmuggie**

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU to eevryone who reviewed, and an especially BIG thank you to Bunni, my editor whom edits and pulls my humble stories into better shape than they were (picking up all my little grammatical errors which are often abundant in my writing.) Also a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Bunni too!! ^-^ ^-^ 

Well, (I don't own nothing) let's get on with things shall we?

****

*

The early morning sunlight was just beginning to peak through the open curtains. The figure in the bed grunted and screwed up his face from the onslaught of sunshine and reluctantly blinked open his eyes. 

He cringed and screwed them immediately shut.

"Oow…my head…" He groaned, whimpered and rubbed his forehead, then cringed again and gasped as the movement of his good arm tweaked a tender muscle along his back. The sharpness of the pain lessened, but didn't go away. Instead he was made aware of a constant, dull throb from his injured shoulder that matched the equally dull, throbbing headache. 

He couldn't remember much of what happened the day before. It was a little fuzzy, but he _could_ remember snatches of it. The horror he had felt when he glimpsed Sakura, unconscious, being taken away. The all-consuming anger when he found her and her kidnappers, and the bewilderment at her reaction towards his help. She was a mystery, an enigma; he found her utterly frustrating yet…she _intrigued _him. 

Resting a hand over his face to block out the morning sunshine, and tried to ignore the headache enough to catch a few more hours sleep.

"_Purrpurrpurr_."

Syaoran's eyebrows crinkled in a frown.

"_Purrpurrpurr_"

He lifted his hand and raised his head a little to look down at his stomach. The weight, which he had just assumed was a blanket, was purring contentedly. 

It was a cat. A small, black furred cat was curled up on his stomach. Upon further examination, he found another, this one ginger and fluffy, tucked between his feet, and a third, a smokey blue coloured one, on the pillow behind his head. 

His movement awoke all three. They opened their eyes and watched him steadily. 

Syaoran blinked. 

Though he couldn't see all of them at once, all three cats blinked back at him simultaneously.

The blue grey one hopped off the pillow and sat at the door, looking expectant. It took Syaoran a good few seconds to realise what the cat wanted. 

"Oh, just give me a second…." Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Syaoran paused for a second until the wave of pain in his shoulder subsided. It seemed no matter how carefully he moved, his shoulder still insisted on aching. Grimacing as he got up, his hand holding his injured shoulder, Syaoran stood, about to make his way to the door, when he changed direction and headed to the basin under the window. He squinted outside, then leant down to splash water on his face. Feeling much more refreshed now, he wiped his face dry with his hands and turned towards the door, glancing at the rippling surface of the water in the basin, looked back up to go, then did a double take. Frowning, he leaned closer to the rippling surface. His warped reflection stared back. 

Syaoran straightened up, his face a mask of mild confusion, and made his way to the door. For a second there he could have _sworn_ he had seen another person's image staring back at him. Shaking his head and putting it down to lingering hallucinations, or a just a trick of the early morning light, he swung the door open; the blue grey cat, as though in thanks, rubbed up against his leg as the other two streaked down the hall towards the kitchen. 

The blue grey one followed, but stopped after a few steps and looked back. 

Syaoran sighed. "Okay okay, I'm coming."

The ginger cat and the black cat had disappeared somewhere when he finally entered the kitchen, but the blue grey one trotted over to the chair in front of the fire. Sakura was curled up on the chair, rather uncomfortably by the looks of things, covered mostly by a large woolen blanket. A hand was dangling down one side of the chair and the tip of a sock-clad foot stuck out the bottom of a blanket. 

Her hair had seen better days. 

Though still tied in what Syaoran was coming to see as her trademark messy plait, quite a large section, that had obviously been pressed up against the chair while she slept, was reminiscent of a haystack. The thought brought a smile to his face as his gaze swept off the slumbering woman to the shelves around. Syaoran wasn't generally one to snoop, but he found that the room quite sparked his curiosity. 

One shelf was crammed with big, old dusty books, some of which seemed to be holding the shelves up. Only a few had titles on the spine, which Syaoran scanned without much interest. His gaze traveled onto the next shelf, which promised to be a bit more interesting. It held jars and bottles and oddly shaped trinkets. He had just picked up a small bird-like statuette of the shelf when an all-too-calm voice broke the silence. "Have you ever heard the term 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

Syaoran spun around, almost dropping the bird-like statue in the process, and stared wide-eyed at the young woman standing right behind him. Her face was expressionless, but he could see in her emerald eyes an angry fire burning within. "Hasn't anyone ever bothered to tell you, that it is rude to snoop."? She snatched the statue out of his hand and replaced it on the shelf, before turning to look at Syaoran with a cool expectant expression. 

Syaoran straightened his back and squared his shoulders (which only really succeeded in making his shoulder ache more than it already was, instead of boosting his confidence) and replied. "I assure you, _madam_, that I was not snooping."

Sakura look utterly unconvinced. "Oh _really_," she replied, sneering slightly. "Pray tell, what do _you_ call it then? Because it certainly looked like snooping to me."

Syaoran considered his answer for a second. "I was merely observing the many interesting trinkets you have on display. Which brings forth the question, _ma'am_," he continued, with a slightly triumphant look on his face, "of why you have them exhibited if you do not wish people to see them." If Sakura was at all fazed by the fact that he had got her on a technicality, she certainly hid it well. She poked him on the back and steered him over to a chair by the table, replying as she did so. "What I do in my own home is my business. And besides, we get few visitors, and the ones we do get are at least polite enough not to let their eyes roam." She pushed him down on the chair with a jarring thump, then went over to the shelves to collect the things she had used yesterday. "Did you sleep well?" 

He frowned slightly. He was finding talking to Sakura slightly vexing. Not just because of the sudden, obvious change of subject…and it also wasn't that she was shifting moods, it was just…she seemed to honestly care about his well being, but seemed thoroughly annoyed by it. Impersonal, she kept herself detached, that's how he saw it.

"I slept fine, but it was rather a shock to wake up covered in cat…is that all part of the healing process, or just something you ladies do for fun around here?" 

Sakura shot Meeko, who had trotted over and was rubbing up against Syaoran's leg, purring loudly, a quick dark look before returning her gaze to the shelves. "Our cat's can go wherever they please." She sat down before him again; putting the various things she carried onto the table, and started to pull the bandages off. Syaoran watched her, waiting for her to continue, but apparently that was all she was going to say on the subject. He looked down at the cat circling his feet. She looked up and gave him a very cat-like grin before sauntering off and presumably going to wherever the other cats had gone to. 

Syaoran sucked in a breath when Sakura started to clean the wound with a damp cloth. She paused and glanced up at him. "What?"

"That cloth is cold..."

Her eyes bored into his, a blank expression on her face, before she closed them and shook her head slightly for a brief second, then continued to clean his wounds. The area around the puncture wound was bruised and slightly red and swollen. A small trickle of fresh blood oozed out when she wiped away the dried blood and paste from the previous day, but otherwise she seemed happy with the way it was healing. After cleaning the exit wound on the back, she quickly smeared some more of the thick green paste on his shoulder (Syaoran sighing quietly with relief when she did so) and bandaged him up again. She sat back and crossed her arms. "How does that feel?" 

Syaoran gingerly touched his freshly bandaged shoulder. "It is nowhere near as bad as it was yesterday, but it still hurts…and I have a headache…" He frowned, his eyebrows falling on her bruised cheek. "How are you?"

If she was surprised by the question, she didn't show it, and busied herself bundling up the lengths of bandage she hadn't needed to use. "I am fine."

"But your cheek…that bruise…" He trailed off and reached up to gently tilt her face towards him so he could get a better look, when she suddenly turned, seemingly to get something from further down the table. But he had seen her flinch, only slightly, just before he had touched her face.

"I will give you some salve and bandages to take home with you. You will need to change the bandages, clean the wound and reapply the salve once a day for at least two more days. After that, just take it easy for a while. Are you left of right handed?"

"Sorry?"

She replied slightly impatiently, "Do you hold your sword in your left or right hand?" 

"Oh. Well, both, actually. Though I do normally use my right…"

"Well, stick to using your left for a while. Otherwise your shoulder will take longer than necessary to heal." She reached for a mug and the tall bottle of that horrible liquid, gave him a steady gaze and said. "You need to drink this now. It will help with your headache, as well as your shoulder. Please tell me there will not be a similar display as there was yesterday."

"…It depends."

An eyebrow rose. "On what?"

His lips tweaked up in a small grin. "Is there chocolate involved?"

She glared at him slightly; thrust the mug in his hand, and an apple in the other. "No more chocolate."

He looked thoroughly disappointed. "What? Why not?"

"Because I have given you an apple, and they work just as well, if not better."

"But I _like_ chocolate."

A muscle under her left eye started to twitch slightly. "And so do I, but it is hard to make and I would rather not just give it out left, right and centre." Which was a complete lie. Thanks to Tomoyo's wonderful greenhouse, the more exotic ingredients needed to make the chocolate were readily available. But, Sakura reasoned with herself, Syaoran didn't need to know that. 

Syaoran replied, with a slightly lop-sided grin, "Who said anything about giving it out left, right and centre? It is just I. Surely you were taught that you should be courteous to your guests…"

The muscle under her eye started to twitch even more. "You are not a guest, you are a nuisance."

"A _nuisance_?" Syaoran's temper flared slightly. "_You_ were the one who brought me here!"

"Only after _you_ stupidly got yourself shot. I had no choice!"

"I did not 'get myself shot'. If it wasn't for me, those men would probably still have you, doing God only knows what to you! I was only trying to help!"

"Yes '_trying_', but failing miserably! _And_ _I can look after myself_!"

Syaoran threw his hands into the air, so caught up in the argument that he didn't even notice when the movement caused icy shards of pain to shoot down his back. "_I know_, _I know! You **told** me that already. But it just so happens that **I do not care**!"_

"And what is that supposed to mean?" 

A cheerful voice interrupted before either Syaoran or Sakura could say anything else. "Good morning! And how is everyone feeling this fine day?"

Syaoran and Sakura sat back down on their chairs with a thump, having risen during the row. Syaoran cringed, the pain in his shoulder finally catching up with him, suddenly became self-conscious. Though most of his upper torso was covered in bandages, he was becoming aware that he still essentially only dressed in a pair of brown pants. He felt his cheeks warm slightly in a blush as Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at him. 

"Oh…uh…Good Morning milady, uh…" He had briefly been introduced to Sakura's friends yesterday at market, but he couldn't remember their names.

"Please," She smiled pleasantly, "Just call me Tomoyo, or Miss Tomoyo, if you would prefer. We are quite good friends with your family, and it would be silly to not show the same courtesy to you as we do to them." 

Syaoran glanced briefly at Sakura, who was looking mutinously at Tomoyo. Something told him that she did not seem so happy about having to be courteous to him. Syaoran glanced back at Tomoyo, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, that is very kind of you."

"Good morning everyone!" Meiling smiled as she swept into the kitchen, the fluffy ginger cat draped over her shoulder. Syaoran once again felt his cheeks start to redden. Here he was, sitting practically half-naked, in a room with three young ladies. If only his brothers could see him now. They'd probably choke from laughing so much. It also struck him that it hadn't actually bothered him when Sakura had been dressing his wounds. He supposed that was because he had been in too much pain to care, and now that his shoulder wasn't hurting nearly as much as it was, his mind could pick up on things like that. 

Tomoyo clapped her hands together and, almost reading his mind (or perhaps the slight blush on his cheeks) replied. "Now, I think I have a spare shirt you can wear. I am sure it must be quite chilly in just those bandages." He could have sworn she had shot Sakura a significant look, but it was very brief, and to what significance Syaoran was unsure. As Tomoyo walked out the kitchen, Sakura stood up and headed for the front door. Syaoran and Meiling watched her step outside, closing the door behind her without saying a word, their eyebrows raised. 

"She seems…" Syaoran trailed off, at a loss for words, or at least, at a loss for words that could be considered polite.

"Oh, do not take it personally. It is just her way of doing things." There was a hint of sadness in her tone as she said it, but Syaoran refrained from asking. Meiling looked at Syaoran and continued. "Tomoyo and I want to thank you, for what you did yesterday. We know Sakura can take care of herself. She is probably the bravest and most independent person we have ever met, but it will do her good to see that there _are_ people out there that are willing to risk their skins for others." Syaoran was a little confused by that. He could understand it, but he didn't fully realize the significance. There was something very cryptic about the look she was giving him. 

She turned away when Tomoyo entered the kitchen, carrying a bundle of shirts. "I do not have time to make you something to fit, but I am sure we can make do with one of these." She picked up a shirt from the top of the pile; a white shirt with insanely ruffled sleeves and held it up against him. Syaoran was thankful when she declared it too small for him and placed it aside on the table. "Are these some of the shirts you make yourself to sell at market?"

Tomoyo nodded, holding up a shirt that not only had ruffled sleeves, but a ruffled collar as well. Meiling grinned a little when she spoke up. "Those are spares we have been unable to sell. No one else is as fond of ruffles and frills as Tomoyo is." Tomoyo gave Meiling an impish glare as she picked up the last shirt. It was surprisingly plain. Though the sleeves were long and quite loose, there was not one ruffle or frill about it. The front opened into a fairly wide and long 'v', with a long length of white string crisscrossed to hold it together. She held it up to him and nodded, apparently satisfied. "This should fit. It might be a little tight around the shoulders, but it should be okay." He took it and slipped it on, his injured shoulder only causing a little difficulty. It fit snuggly around his broad shoulders, but not so much so that it caused pain or discomfort, but fitted quite well otherwise. "How come you could not sell this one?"

Tomoyo smiled. "Well, that one is actually not finished."

Meiling snorted slightly then turned to address Syaoran. "Yes, and you better be careful what you say, because she will start chasing you around, trying to add ruffles, if given half the chance."

Tomoyo crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Meiling indignantly. "You make me sound like I am some sort of mad woman."

"That is only because it is true. Or have you forgotten the time you chased _me_ around because you felt my dress was too plain."

Tomoyo pouted as she got up and started to clear the things off of the table. "Well, it was." She placed cups, plates and cutlery onto the table and it was only when she was setting the empty seat meant for Sakura that she paused and looked around. "Where did Sakura go?"

Meiling shrugged. "She did not say, just stood and walked out." 

If either of them were worried about this, they didn't show it, instead Meiling pulled the cat down from her shoulders onto her lap and started to scratch it behind the ears and Tomoyo picked up the mug containing the horrible liquid Syaoran had yet to drink. "Here. You still need to drink this." Syaoran gave the mug a disgusted look as she handed it to him, then downed it in one gulp. He grimaced and shuddered, then took a big bite out of the apple. The bitter taste dissolved in his mouth as he chewed, and he felt the throbbing of his headache diminish. 

Feeling worlds better he gave the mug to Tomoyo when she held out a hand to take it, and sat back to finish off the apple. When Sakura finally returned, she was carrying eggs, and looking a little less irritated than she had when she left. Tomoyo poured her a glass of juice as Sakura pumped water into a small pot and placed it over the kitchen fire to heat and said. "And where did you wander off to?"

"I went to feed our various animals. Which, as I recall," she smiled at Tomoyo in what should have been a sweet smile, except that there wasn't really anything sweet about it, and said. "Was _your_ job this week."

Tomoyo looked unfazed and replied defensively. "Yes, well, I would have done it if not for our guest here." She gave Sakura a slightly stern look. "You had only to ask, I am never one to neglect my duties."

Syaoran watched the exchange with interest, as Meiling put in her two cents, a slight smirk on her face. He could see why his family, and more so his brothers, liked them so much. And he couldn't help notice how they seemed to balance each other out so well. Tomoyo was down-to-earth, friendly and calm, he couldn't ever see her loosing her temper (and if she did, he was sure he would never want to be around when she did). Meiling looked like the sort of person not really afraid to say what was on her mind. She was, well, quite blunt, not to put too fine a point on it. As for Sakura…she was still something of a mystery to him. Her personality seemed to lean more towards Meiling's, but he couldn't help but feel that it just didn't…_suit her_.

He didn't have much time to ponder this while he ate, as Tomoyo and Meiling were asking him questions about his travels. He was half way through a rather funny story involving a drunken woman and Syaoran's resemblance to her long lost husband, when a loud angry voice bellowed from somewhere in the house. "**_SAKURA!_**"

Sakura jumped, nearly biting clean through her spoon and almost fell backwards off her chair if Syaoran's arm hadn't shot out and caught the back of it before it fell. Sakura's face turned exceptionally pale as she looked down the hall, where the voice seemed to be coming from. 

"**_SAKURA! WHERE ARE YOU!?!_**"

Meiling looked like she would very much like to laugh. Tomoyo looked worried, her thin eyebrows crinkled in a frown. Sakura on the other hand looked both annoyed and, Syaoran almost had to pinch himself to stop from leaning closer to get a better look, slightly frightened. Sakura flinched as another earth-trembling bellow broke the tranquil silence, at which she looked pointedly at Meiling. "Meiling, could you go see to him?"

Meiling suddenly looked utterly horrified. "_Me_? Why_ me?_"

Sakura, pushing Syaoran none too gently towards the front door, replied rather irritably. "Because Tomoyo is going to help me get our dear guest here on his way." Meiling, an expression on her face that suggested she was being forced to walk into a pit containing many ravenous lions, a few angry snakes, and a rabid dog for good measure, whimpered and headed slowly down the hall. 

"What is going on? Why is there a man shouting for you? Why do I have to leave all of a sudden?"

Sakura stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Wolf, sporting a saddle and bridle came to a skidding stop in front of Syaoran and tossed her head. Tomoyo came bustling out as Sakura hurriedly explained. "What is going on is really none of your business. Who it is," she sighed as she helped pack some of the things Tomoyo had brought out with her into a saddle bag, "It is my brother, and why you have to leave so suddenly…" She looked up at Syaoran's face and replied with a pointed look. "Believe me when I say that you do not want to deal with my brother when he is in one of his moods." Syaoran pulled himself up into the saddle, which was surprisingly easy even though he could only use one hand, as Tomoyo explained. "Her brother is very overprotective…and can get a little insane sometimes. It is best that you leave now."

"But-but m'ladies…"

"Now, now! No time to dawdle!" Tomoyo had an extremely strained smile on her face, as she took Wolf by the bridle and turned her so she was facing the forest. 

"No, wait, you still have-ARRRGHHH!!" Wolf bolted for the trees, having been slapped once again on the rump by Sakura. Syaoran could do little but hang on as leaves and branches whipped him. "YOU STILL HAVE MY SWORD!"

Tomoyo and Sakura watched him go; Tomoyo looking slightly worried, Sakura looking slightly pleased. Tomoyo put her finger to her cheek. "Oh dear…"

Sakura just grunted and strode back inside. "We will give it back to him eventually, but we have far more pressing issues to attend to right now." Tomoyo sighed and reluctantly followed, as Sakura headed for her bedroom. 

They found Meiling standing by the bedroom window, rhythmically banging her head against the wall as yelling, though thankfully not as loud as it had been, continued to stream from the small basin of water in front of the window. 

"I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO SAKURA THIS _INSTANT_, MEILING! DO NOT THINK FOR A _SECOND_ THAT I CANNOT SEE YOU THERE! STOP IGNORING ME!" 

The image of a man's head could be seen in the smooth glassy surface of the bowl, glaring in Meiling's direction. Neither the man nor Meiling saw as Tomoyo and Sakura entered. Sakura huffed, and plucked something off her dressing table as she passed. Upon reaching the basin, she held it up, and dropped it. The small pebble disappeared with a 'plop' into the water. 

"OUCH!"

A satisfied smirk on her face, Sakura looked down into the wavering image of her big brother rubbing a sore spot on his forehead. She loved that little trick. Due to the distance, she had been unable to kick her brother in the shins, which used to prove quite useful in such occasions. Fortunately, for her at least, a few years ago she had quite by accident found out the stone trick. By dropping something from one end, it would arrive at the other end with equal velocity. In other words, a stone dropped into the basin one end would shoot up _out_ of the other, hitting anyone standing too close by. Sakura crossed her arms and eyed her brother coolly. "Explain."

Touya glared at her, a vein starting to throb on his temple. "PARDON?"

"I said," her voice started to get a dangerous edge, "_explain_."

"IF ANYONE HAS EXPLAINING TO DO, IT IS _YOU_, YOUNG LADY!"

Sakura's nostrils flared; Tomoyo and Meiling gasped, then started to inch towards the bedroom door. The muscle under her eye started to twitch. "I assure you, _dear brother_," she said in a voice that could melt wood, "That I do not have the faintest idea what you are talking about."

"DO NOT PLAY DUMB WITH ME SAKURA! I SAW THAT MAN!"

Sakura closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, then queried in an all too calm voice. "Brown hair and eyes…about my age?"

"YES, HIM! _WHAT WAS HE DOING IN YOUR ROOM?!?_"

"Recovering."

"**_WHAT_**?"

Sakura leaned closer to the bowl and said in a louder voice. "I said he was recovering. Do you need your hearing checked?"

Touya's face was going a very odd red colour as he spluttered. "_I-you-wha-I DO NOT NEED MY HEARING CHECKED!" _Something suddenly registered in Touya's anger addled brain. "_WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY **RECOVERING?!?**_" 

"Well," Sakura turned to shoot Meiling a warning glare, but she just smirked. Tomoyo was edging away and looking at Meiling as though she was seriously questioning her sanity. "What do _you_ think she means by that, Touya?"

"_WHAT?"_

"**MEILING!**"

Several things happened in quick succession. Meiling and Tomoyo were thrown out of the bedroom by some invisible force as an unseen (at least by them) bubble surrounded Sakura and her scrying bowl and completely blocked out any noise from reaching their ears. The bedroom door slammed shut after Meiling and Tomoyo were deposited rather ungracefully into the hallway. A second later, the door flew open again, only to deposit a soggy looking Kero onto Tomoyo's lap, before the door closed with a jolting bang. 

Tomoyo shook her head as she stood and brushed herself off, a slightly dazed Kero now slumped over her shoulder. "You just could not keep your mouth shut, could you Meiling?"

Meiling, trying not to smirk too much, just shrugged. "What can I say, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up."

Tomoyo sighed. "And to think your mother spent all that time teaching you proper etiquette." 

"I am perfectly polite when the situation calls for it, but I like to think I am entitled a little fun once in a while."

"You will not be thinking that once Sakura is finished with her brother. She is going to be absolutely livid."

"Tomoyo, she is _already_ livid. The way I see it, she is as angry as she can get. She can only calm down after this. So it will not be so bad when she comes to talk to me." 

Tomoyo threw her hands up in defeat. "Okay, fine. It is your skin that is on the line after all." Kero groaned and started to stir. 

"Are you okay, Kero?"

"Wha-? Whozit?" Kero grunted and rubbed his head with a paw. "Ouch…Okay, who is the genius that got both Sakura _and_ Touya angry?"

Meiling, almost looking pleased with herself, raised a hand. Kero sighed deeply and shook his head, as he started to wring water from his little wings. "I see you have decided to die young then…" he muttered dryly. 

Meiling smirked as Tomoyo quipped. "Oh, I would not be too sure of that. According to Meiling, Sakura will have worn herself out yelling at Touya, and therefore will be all nice and calm when it comes time to yell at her."

"_Really…_" Kero looked unconvinced. "Nice logic there, Meiling. But since when has Sakura ever listened to logic?" 

Meiling opened her mouth to comment, then snapped it shut. Her smile disappeared and her skin went slightly pale. Apparently, that had never actually occurred to her. 

Tomoyo patted her sympathetically on the shoulder before turning to Kero. "Why are you all wet Kero? And where have you been?"

Kero shook a few drops of water from his tail. "Well, Meeko came running in yesterday yelling something about Sakura and a visitor. She told me to go hide, so I dived into the scrying pool to pay Touya and Mr. Kinomoto a little visit." Kero grimaced. "Everything was going fine until this morning when Touya went to his scrying pool to see if Sakura was okay, and he saw a man. Mr. Kinomoto and I tried to hold him back, but Touya can be remarkably persuasive when he wants to be." He sighed and rubbed his neck. "Anyway, Sakura saw me behind Touya and brought me 'ever so gently' home." He frowned. "So, just what _exactly _has been happening around here?"

Meiling, her ear pressed up against the door, replied. "We will tell you about that later...Ooh…I wish I could hear what they are saying…"

"You won't be able to. She used the Spirit of Silence."

"She did?" Tomoyo looked confused. "But I did not hear her summon her..."

"She did not summon me, but you know what happens when Mistress Sakura gets a bit over emotional…"

Everyone turned at the quite, whisper like voice. The Silent Spirit was standing behind then, a sheepish expression on her usual composed face. Meiling crossed her arms over her chest. "Let me guess, she kicked you out too…"

Silent shook her head. "No, it was just a little awkward listening to the two of them argue." 

Meiling's eyebrow twitched up in interest. "You can hear what they are saying?"

"Of course."

"Really…" Meiling grinned. "What are they saying now?"

Silent's head disappeared through the door, then pulled back out a second later. "Touya is yelling that Mistress Sakura should have told them if she was being courted and therefore should have had the decency to introduce her suitor to her family to see if he was worthy before anything was finalized."

"_Courted?!?_"

"**_Suitor?!?_**"

Tomoyo put a finger to her cheek. "Oh my…"

Meiling looked slightly thunderstruck, before she started to giggle. "Oh dear…I seem to have made a mess of things…perhaps I should go and start packing…"

Kero turned to Silent, before slipping his gaze to the closed door. "What is happening now?"

Silent slipped her head through the door again. "Hmm, it appears Mistress Sakura has set Touya's boots on fire…"

"She can do that?" Meiling looked slightly frightened, obviously scared of the notion that not even distance can hinder Sakura's wrath. 

Silent nodded. "I believe Touya had a few candles lit nearby, so Firey was able to act through them."

Kero sighed. "Okay, I think it will be a good idea if someone told me just exactly what has been going on around here…" 

__

A few minutes later…

"…So let me get this straight. Sakura was already in enough of a temper, and you thought it would be fun to insinuate that the injured man she helped was a–aha-'suitor'…." He paused to give Meiling a side-wards glance, "Even though you knew Touya was already riled up enough and _very _sensitive on matters of that particular subject."

Meiling nodded. "Yes, that about sums it up."

Kero's expression was steady and calm, "Tell me Meiling…" but not for long... "_ARE YOU COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?_"

"My mind is exactly where it belongs, thank you very much…"

Kero snorted. "I would not count on that…" 

Meiling shot him a very withering look.

Everyone jumped as the sound of a bang and a splash came from within Sakura's room, sounding very much like a certain bowl had been tipped over. Heavy pounding footsteps came towards the door. Everyone jumped away from the door; Silent faded until she disappeared. Sakura threw open the door and stomped out, not even giving her companions a second glance as she went to the kitchen. Meiling, Tomoyo and Kero glanced at each other. Sakura was red in the face and muttering darkly to herself. At these times, it was usually best to stay out of her way until she calmed down. Or perhaps sedate her…whichever option is most appropriate. 

They all sighed as the resounding bang of the front door signalized her departure. Meiling and Tomoyo, who had arched their heads out to watch Sakura leave, blinked and glanced at each other, frowning slightly. "Did she just take Syaoran's sword?"

*

"Ooh, Meiling better sleep with one eye open tonight…she is going to _pay _for saying that to Touya…" Sakura muttered darkly to herself as she stomped down the forest path to the clearing up ahead. "And what was he _thinking_?" She rolled her eyes to the canopy, looking thoroughly exasperated. "A _suitor_? That is absolutely _absurd_! I thought he knew me better…" She stopped walking, having come to the clearing, threw her head back, and screamed at the top of her lungs. 

A few birds shot from the trees, squawking loudly in protest at the sudden outburst. Sakura dropped her head and sighed. "Ah, that is _much_ better." It was often Sakura's philosophy, when she was feeling particular stressed or mad, that when in doubt, a good scream can do you the world of good. Of course, no one in a one hundred-metre radius would agree with her, but it certainly had a calming effect. 

She was about to start up her exercises; something else that helped calm Sakura down, (Meiling often commented that she didn't care if kata and exercise calmed her down, allowing Sakura near a weapon when she was angry was just plain foolish.) when she finally noticed that the sword she was carrying felt heavier than the one she usually used when training. 

She looked down and blinked. The sword she was holding was a far cry from hers. The one she owned was a simple blade, designed for training; it wasn't strong enough for any real fighting, but this one… She gripped the hilt two handed, and tilted the blade to see it better in the dappled sunlight. The blade looked extremely sharp. Frowning a little, she plucked a small branch off the ground and threw it up into the air. Spinning the blade a little in her grip, she crouched down into a fighter's stance, then swung the blade. There were three flashes of silver, and the branch lay in three neatly sliced pieces on the ground. (No matter how much people insisted it did, that 'slicing-a-piece-of-hair-in-two' trick _never_ worked.) 

An impressed look on her face, Sakura examined the blade and the hilt more closely. The hilt was long and green, with an unusual design that seemed strangely familiar. On the end of the hilt there were long red chords, tied to a strange spherical jewel. The blade itself was made by some extremely strong looking metal that Sakura didn't recognize. 

Altogether, it was quite a beautiful weapon. 

Sakura sighed and turned to head back to the cottage to get her own sword, when she hesitated. What was the harm? She knew enough about swords not to do anything stupid. (Besides, by the looks of it, she could probably throw it against a few rocks and barely dull the blade. It was a wonder he had actually ever needed to have it sharpened. But then again, on the other hand, maybe Theo was just really good at sharpening weapons.) Anyway, she was already here. No sense in going back now. 

Sakura breathed in deeply then spun on her heel and stepped back towards the middle of the clearing, the long sword held aloft. She paused to adjust her grip a bit until she was more comfortable with it, then started her exercises. It took her a few minutes to get used to the length of the blade and the weight of it, but by the time she got the hang of it, she found that she was quite relaxed. The sword seemed to hum almost unnaturally as it sliced through the air. 

But something was niggling her in the back of her mind…that she had seen the design somewhere before, maybe from one of the books they had in their collection. She also couldn't help shake the feeling that the blade was made just for him…no matter how many times she adjusted her grip, she just couldn't get completely comfortable with it. 

She spun around, the sword held out so that the chords, tassels and jewel flowed around her, and mumbled to herself; a perplexed look on her face, "Maybe there is more to Syaoran than meets the eye…"

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her movements. It was a little slow going at first. She had to adjust her stance a little; to put more of her weight behind the weapon, but got the hang of it in no time. She parried, thrust, twirled and jabbed, then threw the blade above her, listening intently to the humming noise it made as it sliced the air. She didn't have her eyes open, but she was quietly proud of the fact that she was good at this trick, sensing when it was the right time to grab the spinning sword-hilt. But due to the very fact that she had her eyes closed, she did not see the flash of light…

She reached her hands up, but grabbed nothing but air as the jewel hit her on the forehead. "OUCH!"

Sakura opened her eyes and rubbed the sore spot on her forehead. "Well…that was awfully stupid of me…" She looked at her feet, a little embarrassed that she had actually completely missed the hilt, and blinked. There was no sword. 

There was the long red chord, with the strange spherical jewel and tassels, but no _sword_.

Sakura bent down and picked up the jewel and chord. "What on Earth…"

A quick search of the clearing and the forest that surrounding it confirmed Sakura's mild suspicion (she thought the possibility highly doubtful) that the sword hadn't just landed somewhere nearby, chords detached. She held the jewel close, and fingered the dark unreflective surface. "I knew there was something strange about this sword…" She looked up and into the forest, her eyes slightly out of focus, as though she was looking beyond the trees. "Just who are you, Syaoran Jameson…"

*

"WHOA! WHOA! WOLF, _SLOW DOWN YOU HALF-MAD HORSE_!" All in all, Syaoran was not having a very good time. His arm was aching again at the unnecessary amount of jolts his panicked horse was causing him, he had the distinct impression that a large portion of the forest had ended up stuck into his hair, and he had _no_ idea were he was. 

What was _with_ that girl anyway? She could at least had the decency to send him gently on his way, instead of smacking Wolf on the rump and sending her into a wild gallop through quite a dense forest. And she hadn't given him his sword…

Finally getting his horse under control and slowing her into a light trot to cool off, Syaoran had a chance to have a good look at his surroundings. He looked to his left at the seemingly never-ending rows of trees and bushes. He looked to his right…at the seemingly never-ending rows of even more trees and bushes. He looked up ahead at the seemingly…well…you get the picture. 

"Ah, wonderful…it appears that I am hopelessly lost. Well, at least her wish of having me die slowly in the forest will come true after all then…" He muttered darkly to himself as he pulled Wolf to a stop. Syaoran sighed and turned in the saddle to look back at the way he came when something suddenly occurred to him. He turned his head around slowly and looked Wolf suspiciously between the ears. He dismounted as carefully he could and stepped away from his horse. When he was a good distance away, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle. Wolf snorted, tossed her head, then slowly walked over to Syaoran and nuzzled his chest. Syaoran, a perplexed look on his face, scratched Wolf on her cheek. "Hm…I never taught you to do that…" He looked back the way he had come, a frown on his face. "There is something very unusual about that woman…" 

It wasn't until much later that day that Syaoran finally emerged from the forest and started to head back home. When he reached the front gate, Mia came bolting down from the house, looking on the verge of tears. "SSSYYYYYAAAAOOOOORRRRAAAAAANNNN!" When he dismounted, she almost bowled him right over. "OOF! Ouch! Careful Mia…that shoulder is a little sore…" She gasped and jumped back as Jenna and the rest of the family came out. Eriol eyed Syaoran's change of attire, the way he favored his arm, and the unfamiliar tack on Wolf and said. "Care to give us an explanation, brother?"

Jenna, looking worried as she took the reins from Syaoran to take care of Wolf for him, asked as they headed for the stables. "And what about Sakura. Is she okay?" 

Syaoran had an unperturbed expression on his face as they walked towards Wolf's stall. "Oh, she is fine…took it as a bit of an insult actually, when I tried to help." 

Isaac eyed Syaoran's obviously injured shoulder. "Please tell me she did not cause that…" His eyebrows crinkled in a worried frown. "Did she?"

Syaoran grimaced and replied in a dry tone. "Oh no…that was not her…that was one of the thieves…I was shot."

There was a shocked gasp from Jenna, Geoffory sucked in a breath, Isaac whistled and Eriol's eyebrows shot up. Mia looked at Syaoran in awe. "Really?" She grinned hopefully. "Can I see it?"

"Mia!"

Mia turned to look at her shocked mother. "What?" 

Geoffory chuckled as he started to unload Wolf's saddlebags. He frowned when he pulled out something wrapped in cloth. "What is all this?" 

"Sakura said I need to change my bandages once a day, and spread some more of that paste" He nodded towards the small jar Geoffory had pulled from the bundle, "on the wound for a few more days."

"Well, she certainly seems to know what she is doing, at least…"

Syaoran muttered under his breath. "You have no idea…"

Isaac and Eriol, being the closest, snickered when they heard. Wolf was given a quick brush down and the tack Syaoran had borrowed was placed into the storage room until it could be returned before the group ventured outside. They were halfway to the house when Mia squealed, "Ooh! Look at the kitty!"

Mia, who had some strange gravitational pull when it came to small, cute, furry creatures, bounded forward and plucked the cat off the ground. She giggled and scratched the small creature behind the ears; it immediately started to purr contentedly. "Can I keep her?"

Jenna was about to answer when Syaoran spoke up. "I do not think so Mia…I believe that cat belongs to Sakura…"

"Really?" She frowned and looked at the purring bundle in her arms. "Why is she so far away from home then?" 

Isaac snickered. "Sakura probably sent her after Syaoran as a spy." Jenna thumped him lightly on the arm. "Isaac! That was very rude! Just because Miss Sakura is a little…"

"Eccentric?"

"Scary?"

"Undomesticated?"

Jenna glared at all three young men as she held open the door for everyone to walk inside the house. "I was going to say unusual…"

Isaac grinned slightly. "Same difference…" He eyed Syaoran. "And what did you mean by scary?"

Syaoran answered dryly, "You obviously haven't seen her fight or defend herself then…" He frowned. "What did _you_ mean by undomesticated?"

Isaac shrugged. "Everyone was putting in their two cents…it was the first thing that came to my mind." Eriol snickered. No one needed to really ask why he had said eccentric. After all, it takes one to know one…

Mia, having the average attention span of most people her age, was quickly getting bored of the conversation. She patted the cat on the head again and asked. "Do you know what the kitties name is Syaoran?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No…sorry Mia, I don't… It never really came up." 

Isaac, his eyes slightly out of focus, as what happens whenever he uses his gift to talk to animals, announced, "She says her name is Meeko."

"Meeko?"

"Ooh, what a pretty name! It suits her." Mia grinned and bounded up stairs, her new friend still bundled in her arms.

Everyone headed into the living room and sat down. When everyone was seated comfortably around the room, Geoffory crossed his arms and looked at Syaoran expectantly. "Okay Syaoran…tell us everything that happened since you left yesterday."

* 

__

A few days later…

Sakura huffed and dropped the book onto the table with a bit more force than was necessary. Kero, the only other occupant in the room, (Besides Hermand, who was sleeping) looked up from the huge book he had been immersed in and asked. "Anything the matter, Sakura?"

She ran a hand through her hair, which was actually loose for once, and rested her head on the abandoned book. "I cannot find a thing! Nothing at all! But I am positive I have seen the sword somewhere before!" 

She stood up with a start and began to pace back and forth from the window to the table like an angry cat, before stopping at the window to gaze out into the front garden. It had started to snow the day before, and was yet to stop, so the front garden was blanketed in a thick layer of white. Several pairs of footprints led down the garden path and into the forest. Tomoyo, followed by Anya, had gone out to perform a ritual she did at the beginning of every winter that prevented her from going into a form of hibernation. (Otherwise, because of the fact that she was partially flora, she would tend to get a little sleepy during the winter, drop innumerable numbers of dry, golden coloured leaves from her every changing hairdo until, when it got into the thick of winter, she would loose her hair completely. It was a pain having deciduous characteristics.) 

It had also come the time that the fox cubs, that Sakura had rescued, were old enough to go out into the wild on their own, so Meiling had taken them into the forest to say goodbye. She always did this alone…. Well, Chi tags along, but Tomoyo and Sakura are asked politely but firmly to stay away. Meiling never really says why, but Sakura and Tomoyo suspected it was because she doesn't want them to see her crying like a baby when it comes time to release her surrogate offspring. Meiling may seem the strong type whom is generally in check with her emotions, but she was really just a big softy at heart. 

Sakura wasn't sure were Meeko had got off to. She hadn't seen her for a few days in fact. This didn't worry her though. The cats' were free to wander around where they pleased, and there were plenty of rodents around for them to feed themselves. But Sakura _did _need to talk to Meeko about something. Upon asking Anya and Chi about their obvious affection towards Syaoran, they had simply replied that he was a 'cat-person'. Neither Sakura nor her friends knew just exactly what they meant by that, (and Anya and Chi refused to say anything else on the subject) so Sakura was hoping that Meeko might shed some light on the issue. 

Sakura gazed at the chicken hut, which she had put together the day previous, in silence until Kero spoke up. "Are you sure you have seen it in one of these books though?" He snapped his book shut and floated over to gaze out into the garden with her. "We have been looking through books non stop for two whole days. I think I am going to go cross-eyed if I have to read another of those blasted books and their horrible, illegibly miniscule writing!" 

Sakura smiled slightly and sat back down at the table, closing the book she had been going through and placing it on the rather precarious looking pile of books she had already looked through. "Believe me…I know how you feel." She breathed in deeply for a moment and fingered the spherical gem and chord, the blade and hilt of which still had yet to appear, despite efforts to make the sword return. "But I just want to know. You do not see many magic swords around very often, and those that you do see are either too dangerous to use or too expensive to buy." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she mused more to herself than to anyone listening. "I wonder if Syaoran knows what it does." 

Kero, rubbing his chin, looked thoughtful. "Surely, he must. Which raises the question of just what that brat can do." 

Sakura, completely lost in thought, replied in a very vague and far away voice. "He is not a brat Kero…" 

Kero blinked, then floated forward and held a small paw to Sakura's forehead. "Are you sick Sakura? You do not feel like you have a temperature…" Sakura, snapped out of her daze, swatted Kero away and scowled. "_What_ are you on about, Kero?" 

Kero, looking slightly lost, replied. "You just told me not to call him a brat. Usually you would encourage something like that."

Sakura blinked, looking honestly confused. "You know…normally I would. Hmm." She frowned a little. "That _is_ strange." She shook her head and shrugged slightly before turning to the table. "Which books have we not yet looked through?" 

Kero groaned at the concept of more reading as he floated back over to his side of the table. "Just this one" He waved a paw to the book he was reading before, "and Meiling's clan archive, unless you think you will find information on this sword here in a herbology book."

Sakura snorted quietly as she picked up the thick heavy book that held all the rituals and traditions of the Li clan. "Hmm, I have not looked through this book in years…" She opened the book at random, then started to flick through the pages, when she stopped, and leant closer to the page. 

"What…have you found something?"

Sakura frowned as she turned the book around so Kero could see. "Maybe…look here." She pointed to a small drawing of a noble Li clan warrior; one of Meiling's distant ancestors whom had built the clan mansion that the family had lived in for many generations. Meiling had never been there; having been born in Imar, but her parents had told her that it was a beautiful place. (The only reason they left the Li mansion was because they had a love of travelling. It was how they met Fujitaka and Nadeshiko and, becoming fast friends with the Kinomoto's, had decided to come to live in Imar.) The warrior was resplendent in an older version of the traditional male Li clan robes and it was the design on the robes that got Sakura's attention. "Look at the pattern. I am positive it is the same to what was on the hilt." Kero looked skeptically at the small picture and the even smaller part of the robes that she was pointing too. "I don't know, Sakura. It is a little hard to tell. I think you are seeing something that is not there."

Sakura pulled the book back towards her and looked at the picture again. "Maybe you are right. It is a shame Meiling does not know any more about her heritage than what she was told from her parents and what she read from this book. She might have been able to shed some light on the subject." She flicked through the book a bit more, then stopped again on another page. "Wait a minute…here it is! I _knew_ there was something familiar about it!" 

Kero looked up as Sakura turned the book around and showed him another picture. This time it showed a man and a lady, dressed in what looked to be a newer version of the robes that previous picture had showed; the man holding a long sword, and the woman holding what looked like a rounded fan. The picture seemed to be depicting them summoning their magic. The man was surrounded by bolts of lightening and the woman, holding the rounded fan in both hands out in front of her, looked to summoning fire. "It says here that the male members of the clan were given a sword, and the women were given the fan." 

Kero frowned. "Why did the women not get a sword?"

Sakura looked up from the book and looked thoughtful. "From what I could gather from the book and what I was told, though both men and women were trained in combat and magic, the women should be more adept in the magic whilst the men were to be greater swordsmen. I think it is based on the principle that a man and a woman should be a team. One to excel in magic, the other in fighting, but is still able to be good enough at both fighting and magic to defend themselves adequately when alone." Sakura shook her head. "Well, it is something like that anyway. It is a little confusing." 

"I think I get what you are saying." Kero frowned. "Why does Meiling not have one of those fans then? And I do not remember seeing Meiling's parents with a sword or a fan…or one of those jewel ball things either."

Sakura eyes slowly skimmed down the page as she answered. "Hmm…I will have to ask her about it when she gets back. Oh, but at least I know why the sword disappeared." She tapped the page with her finger. "It says here that it can be shrunk into the jewel for ease of transport and for protection of the weapon."

"Hmm, but now we have an even bigger question. Why does Syaoran Jameson have a Li clan sword?"

"I am not sure. Perhaps he met up with someone from the clan on his travels. It could happen. I mean, Tomoyo and I are not actually related to the clan, yet we perform the rituals and traditions as though we were." 

Kero smirked and said jokingly. "Or maybe Syaoran is not actually related to the Jameson's. He could be a Li and winded up being adopted or something." He shrugged at Sakura's skeptical expression. "Hey, stranger things have happened." 

"Perhaps, but I have my doubts. He looks an awful lot like he is a son of Jenna and Geoffory…" 

"That _could_ just be a coincidence, though. Maybe you will have to go pay your 'valiant rescuer' a visit."

Sakura snorted. "Oh yes. Now _there_ is an absolutely brilliant idea. 'Syaoran'." She said, pretending to be talking to him in person. "I am awfully curious to know why you have a magic sword that tends to disappear into a small strange little ball. If you have no idea what I am actually talking about, please disregard what I just said. Hahaha, I was just pulling your leg."

Kero, his eyes flicking unnoticed by Sakura to the kitchen window behind her, replied with an eyebrow raised and in a strangely distant voice. "You would really say all that?"

"Well, something to that effect…"

"Really? Well, then. Here's your chance." He smiled brightly. "He's coming this way."

Sakura chuckled. "Nice try Kero, but I was not born yesterday." 

Kero, his expression darkening as he floated quickly towards the hallway. "No, you were not. So, you are old enough to know when I am kidding or not." 

Sakura smirked, still not falling for it. "I still do not believe you. The only way he could be here is if one of us led him through the barrier…and Tomoyo and Meiling-"

'KNOCK KNOCK'

Sakura's expression instantly darkened as she finished off. "-Are going to die very slow and painful deaths…" 

With a flick of her wrist, Sakura sent all the books she and Kero had been pouring over back onto their respective places on the bookshelf, and strode over to the doorway. As an afterthought, she pointed to the jewel and sent it floating quickly over to a small chest on a shelf, where it dropped inside. 

She swung the door open mid-way through a second knock. "What are _you_ doing here?" Sure, she did actually need to talk to him, but it didn't mean she had to be polite about it. Besides, if she had been polite, he probably would have suspected that something was wrong. 

Syaoran, looking startled, his fist raised to knock, blinked then scowled. "Well, that was polite." 

Sakura didn't respond; she was staring confusedly at Meeko draped around Syaoran's neck like a small purring scarf. "What is my cat doing on your shoulders?"

"She followed me home the other day. Mia has been looking after her. It was a small wonder that I could separate the two actually…Mia was becoming quite attached." 

Meeko gave Sakura the 'cat-smirk' and leapt off of Syaoran's shoulder, trotting off towards the fireplace. Sakura glared after the retreating tail. 'Traitorous beast…'

"Well, are you going to invite me in? Or am I just going to have to stand here in the doorway, letting all the warmth out." 

Sakura watched him, but he could see she was thinking over her options. After a moment she sighed, rolled her eyes sky-high then stepped aside to let him pass.

"Thank you." He said slightly sarcastically. 

"You're welcome." She replied rather contemptuously. They glared at each other slightly for a few seconds, until Sakura broke the silence. 

"So, why are you here?"

Not really bothered anymore by her somewhat abrupt manner, he replied "A number of things actually. I needed to return the tack you lent me the other day. Two, you still have my sword. Three, I thought I should return your cat-." 

"My cat can go where she pleases. She would have found her own way home." She interrupted rather haughtily.

Syaoran continued on, undaunted. "And _four, _I need you to have another look at my shoulder." 

Sakura crossed her arms and looked at him suspiciously. "What did you do to it now?" 

"I did not do anything!"

"Well then, what is wrong with it?" 

__

"That is what I came here to find out!" 

Sakura threw her hands up in exasperation, "Fine!" Then pointed to the table. "Sit." 

Syaoran sat down as Sakura pulled up a chair to sit in front of him. Neither said anything for a moment until Sakura said curtly. "I cannot very well look at your shoulder if you are still wearing your coat and shirt."

Syaoran rolled his eyes slightly as he removed first his snow-speckled coat, then his woolen jacket. He would have preferred it if she hadn't been watching him the way she was, with that cool, expressionless, slightly calculating look on her face. It was the same look Geoffory got when he was inspecting stud animals. 

It was making him nervous. 

Blushing slightly as he grabbed the back of the shirt, he tugged it up and over his head, his exposed skin getting Goosebumps at the sudden loss of warmth. Sakura picked up a candle and leant a little closer to inspect the wound. Syaoran's face, unknown to her, getting all the more red the closer she came. 

The wound no longer needed any bandages, as it had healed over nicely both front and back. All that was left was a light scar that would fade in a few more days' time. She poked and prodded the area, lifted his arm and moved it up and down, then sat back and looked at Syaoran. "The muscle is knotted." She glared at him. " I _told_ you to take it easy with your right arm. Why did you not listen to me?"

"I did listen. But then I got bored just sitting around doing nothing."

"And now you are wasting both my time and yours, just because you lack some patience!"

"Okay! _Okay! _I am 'truly sorry' I wasted your precious time. Can you just give me something to make it better? I cannot afford to waste any more time with an injury, and _yes_," He interrupted before she could say anything, "I do realize now that I should have just followed your instructions in the first place. But I did not. I am sorry. Let's just move on, shall we?"

The muscle under Sakura's eye twitched slightly when he finished it. "What makes you think I can help you with this." 

"Because I figured that if you can heal that gaping hole I had in my arm in only a few days time, a simple muscular problem would be easy in comparison."

Sakura sighed and stood up. When she passed the shelf with the small chest that the jewel was kept in, she paused briefly before it. 'No,' she resolved with herself. 'First, I will fix his shoulder, then I will ask questions…'

Syaoran looked apprehensively at the small fat jar that she put on the table. Sakura, catching his look, picked it up and twisted open the lid. "You have nothing to worry about. It will only feel a little warm."

Syaoran seemed to be considering something for a moment. "Tell me, by 'feel a little warm', do you mean _actually_ 'feel a little warm', or do you really mean 'will burn like the fires of Hell'? Because I still have yet to forget the time you said that removing the arrow shaft would 'sting a little'."

Sakura glared at him again, then scooped out a generous amount of the off-white paste and slathered it over the front and back of his injured shoulder. 

He looked down at his shoulder and wiggled it a bit; looking impressed as a pleasantly warm sensation seeped through his shoulder, "Well, would you look at that…it is actually quite pleasant…"

"Why ever you would doubt me…" Sakura replied sarcastically.

Syaoran grinned slightly as he looked back up at her, but then he blinked. "You have your hair out." 

An eyebrow raised, Sakura said, "You just noticed?" then, slightly uncomfortable at his stare, said, "So what? You act like you have never seen long hair before."

Syaoran, blushing slightly, shook his head and replied. "No, sorry. I was just getting used to you with your hair in a plait. It kind of threw me off for a second there."

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And why is that?"

To which he replied, quick as a flash, "Because you resemble the picture of sweetness and innocence with your hair out, and that is something my mind was having trouble comprehending."

Sakura's face was completely devoid of emotion for a second, but then, out of the blue, she started to laugh. 

She had quite a pleasant laugh and Syaoran, mildly shocked at this development, found that he couldn't help but join in.

It was this scene that Meiling and Tomoyo, followed by their cats, walked in on. 

Meiling, looking panicked as she glanced around the room. "Are we in the right house?"

Syaoran saw them first and stopped laughing to greet them. "Oh, Good day ladies." And once again aware that he was shirtless once again in the presence of the three ladies, he blushed. "I-uh-Sakura was-umm" He looked at Sakura for help, but she was glaring darkly at her two friends, trying to convey without words that if they said anything on the matter, they would be spending the rest of their days in a very unpleasant manner. The fact that her cheeks were a dark shade of red would prove to make the task of getting them to keep quite extremely difficult, despite the very real consequences. "Uh, Sakura, can I take this paste off now?" 

She glanced at him, once again mildly scowling and nodded as she handed him a cloth. "You can wash it off in the sink in the bathroom. Just go straight down the hall and go through the last door on your right. Now, if you will excuse us," She sent Meiling and Tomoyo a very potent glare. "I need to discuss something with my friends."

Syaoran took the hint and, gathering his shirt and jacket, walked off down the hall. It wasn't until they heard the door at the end of the hall click shut that Tomoyo and Meiling instantly broke into huge smiles and started to babble.

"You were actually _smiling_ at him!"

"And you were _laughing_!" Tomoyo sighed blissfully and clasped her hands together. "I can hear wedding bells now."

Sakura growled under her breath. "Do not be absurd. I am perfectly entitled to laugh or smile when I want to. Last time I checked, it was not a crime."

Meiling grinned and replied, with a forefinger raised. "Ah, but when was the last time you laughed as though you were enjoying the company of a handsome man such as our dear guest Syaoran. Hmm. I think you like him." 

Sakura gave her a withering look. "You are completely delusional."

Tomoyo, her hands still clasped together, asked enthusiastically. "Well, come on, do not leave us hanging. What did he say?!"

Meiling grinned. "Oh, do tell. It must have been quite funny if it sent you into fits of laughter."

Sakura, her scowl growing even deeper by the second (If that was even possible) replied haughtily, "I was not 'sent into fits of laughter'. And I will have you know that he did not actually say anything particularly funny, per say. He actually insulted me, as a matter of fact. It just happened to make me laugh."

Meiling and Tomoyo exchanged glances, then grinned widely, showing more teeth than was comforting. "Wow. You two _are_ made for each other. Wouldn't you agree, Tomoyo?"

"Destined to be together, Meiling. You are absolutely right."

Sakura glared at her two grinning friends. "I am not even going to dignify that with a response. You two are being completely ridiculous." She stood up and strode purposely to the door. "Now, if you will excuse me…"

"No, please stay Sakura! We were just teasing."

"Yes, we only want to know what happened. It has been so long since we have heard you laugh with someone other than us." Sakura, thinking this an awfully weak excuse (they were making it sound like she never got along with any male at all, but that just wasn't true), glared pointedly at them, and turned back to the doorway when Hermand spoke up. "Well, if she isn't going to tell you, _I_ will…"

Sakura spun around and advanced on the smirking skull but was cut to the chase by Meiling. Meiling plucked the skull from his place on the mantel and clutched him in her hands, grinning quite insanely. "Ooh, do tell Hermand!"

Before he could start, Sakura growled through gritted teeth. "Say one word Hermand, and I _swear_ I will hurt you." 

"Ha!" He barked, as he turned in Meiling's hands to face Sakura. "You can't hurt me and you know it. And besides," He grinned, which was quite easy for him considering skulls seem to grin naturally, "I still haven't forgiven you for removing my jaw the other day." 

"What was I _supposed_ to do?! Just let some complete stranger see a talking skull? We would have been burning at the stake by that very afternoon!"

"I will have you know, missy, that-" Hermand abruptly cut off. 

Sakura rolled her eyes upon seeing the bright blue light now glowing in his once orange eye sockets and muttered, "Oh no…not again."

"Sakura…something is wrong." Tomoyo's voice sounded worried. "Look at Meiling." 

Meiling's was standing stock still, Hermand's skull clutched in her hands, her head dropped to her chest. "Meiling…Meiling?" Tomoyo and Sakura looked apprehensively at their friend, as they crept cautiously towards her.

Sakura, all feelings of anger towards her friend replaced by worry, poked Meiling on the arm. "Meiling…okay…this is not funny anymore-AARGH!" Sakura shrieked and jumped as Meiling's head snapped up and her eyes snapped open. But instead of the usual red-brown, they were now a bright glowing blue, just like Hermand's. 

As one, Hermand and Meiling started to speak, in a voice that was neither their own. "_It comes from Darkness…the demon by the name Bloody Silence…brought to Light by the White Robin. The demon born of Darkness…seeks immortal life in Light…The gifted ones must protect the Blossom…for she is the catalyst_…" 

The glowing blue light in Meiling's eyes and Hermand's sockets blinked out, and Meiling's head dropped to her chest once more. Tomoyo and Sakura exchanged slightly frightened looks. 

"What…the _Hell_…was _that_?"

**

Ahh, the fun of it all…

Right, well, you know the drill, I would very much love it if you would review, please! please! please!

Anyway, ciao!

StarDragon ^-^


	8. The Problem With Premonitions

**Blessed Be**

**Chapter Eight: The Problem with Premonitions**

**** **

_Meiling__ was standing stock-still, Hermand's skull clutched in her hands, her head dropped to her chest. "Meiling...Meiling?" Tomoyo and Sakura looked apprehensively at their friend, as they crept cautiously towards her. Sakura, all feelings of anger towards Meiling replaced with worry, poked her in the arm. "Meiling? Okay...this is not funny anymore-AARGH!" Sakura shrieked and jumped as Meiling's head snapped up and her eyes snapped open. But instead of the usual red-brown, they were now a bright, glowing blue, just like Hermand's. _

_As one, Hermand and Meiling started to speak; in a voice that didn't seem to belong to either of them. "It comes from Darkness...the demon by the name Bloody Silence...brought to Light by the White Robin. The demon born of Darkness...seeks immortal life in Light...The gifted ones must protect the Blossom...for she is the catalyst..." The glowing blue light in Meiling's eyes and Hermand's sockets blinked out, and Meiling's head dropped to her chest once more. Tomoyo and Sakura exchanged slightly frightened looks._

_"What...the Hell...was that?"   _

*

Isaac and Eriol, having finished their respective chores for the day, were outside in the snow playing with Mia. Eriol scowled as he sank up to his knee in a particularly deep patch of snow. "Tell me brother," he said as he pulled free his foot, "how _exactly _were we persuaded to abandon our places in front of the nice warm fire to come out and trudge around through the snow?"

Isaac shrugged as he fashioned a snowball in his gloved hands. "I could not tell you, Eriol. I believe my brain has frozen due to the cold. Still," he said cheerfully as he dropped the snowball into Eriol's hand, "anything to keep our baby sister happy."

Eriol snorted. "I thought that was Syaoran's job today. Speaking of, where is he?" 

Eriol had been off in a back paddock, helping to repair a fence, and had not seen Syaoran leave. A small grin twitched at the corner of Isaac's mouth as he bent down to scoop up some more snow. "He went back to Miss Sakura's..."

"He went back? What for?"

Isaac shrugged. "I am not entirely sure. He mumbled something about his shoulder, then told me to mind my own business and rode off."

"Hmm. Always so forthcoming with information is our dear brother" mumbled Eriol sarcastically.

Isaac chuckled. "Come, let us go bury Mia in snow, and then go re-establish ourselves with those nice comfortable seats in from of that nice warm fire you mentioned."

"Sounds like a plan."

They had gone barely two steps when a high-pitched scream tore through the still air, coming from somewhere near a grove of trees in a nearby paddock. Eriol and Isaac looked at each other, their eyes wide and fearful. "Mia!" 

They found her huddled under a tree, an abandoned pile of snowballs at her feet. Her eyes were wide and blank, as though she wasn't really seeing anything, but what was really disturbing them was that there was an unnatural blue light flickering in her eyes. She was rocking back and forth, large tears running down her cheeks. Isaac got to her first and picked her up, cradling her in his lap. "Mia...it's okay, we're here..." She didn't respond, but continued to rock back and forth. There was a hint of panic in Isaac's voice. "Mia? _Mia?"_

Eriol put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Shh, she is trying to say something..."

Her lips, blue from the cold, were moving. Isaac and Eriol leaned closer to hear what she was saying. "_Darkness...it comes...it comes from Darkness_..." Her face contorted, almost as though she was in pain, as she buried her head in Isaac's shoulder and started to sob.

*

It was quiet in the witch's kitchen, and had been for a good few minutes. 

Syaoran was twiddling with the jewel ball of his sword, furtively shooting Sakura glances. She meanwhile, was glaring pointedly at him. Despite everything that had happened in the short time that afternoon, she stubbornly declared that it had been entirely his fault. Truth be told, no single person could be blamed. It was one of those 'circumstances above and beyond anyone's control' sort of things. A series of unfortunate events if you will. 

Sakura was fully aware of this. 

She had realized it the second Syaoran had been dragged by the collar by a growling and bristling Keroberos. She was angrier at herself than at Syaoran, but it's more fun to glare at other people than it was to glare at yourself. 

It had happened more or less, Sakura guessed, like this. Syaoran wouldn't have taken long to clean up and change, and probably would have come back towards the kitchen and heard Sakura and her friends talking about him. Being the ever so curious person that he was, he had stopped to listen. Sakura should have put up a silencing spell, or something of the like, but she hadn't thought about it, under the circumstances. 

And then Meiling and Hermand had had that premonition.

Now, at some point following the aftermath of Hermand and Meiling's cheerful little performance, Kero had come out of hiding (Sakura wasn't entirely sure what exactly had drawn Kero from the room; he was supposed to wait until someone came to say the coast was clear.) and was floating down the hall towards the kitchen. And he had inevitably seen Syaoran behind the door, listening intently to the goings on in the kitchen. Kero was understandably quite angry by this development. Syaoran would have turned at the flash of white light and then come face to snarling-jaw-full-of-_very-_noticeably-long-white-teeth, attached to several pounds of rippling muscle and claw. He didn't even get a chance to scream as Keroberos snatched him up and dragged him bodily into the kitchen. 

Now, this is where things really started to get ugly. 

There was dead silence for a second or two as everyone looked at one another. Sakura's eyes had widened a little when she had turned to look at Syaoran. Then they had narrowed. That was about the time that the yelling had started.

Meiling had talked to some animals sometime after the argument, who had sworn that they had been at least 5 kilometres away from the cottage and had heard everything quite clearly, though they had stopped listening after a few seconds because frankly, it had been a little too painful to listen to. Sakura and Syaoran had both yelled their arguments until they were red in the face. Sakura yelled that he was a sneaking, deceitful little liar. Syaoran yelled that he hadn't _meant_ to listen, and it wasn't as if they had even bothered to close any doors, to which Sakura replied or, more accurately, _yelled,_ sarcasm so thick that you could possibly use it to build a house with, that she was supposed to believe that his ear 'just happened to get pressed up against the doorframe completely by accident.' 

The whole fiasco lasted about five minutes and grew into quite a spectacular row that only ended when both Sakura and Syaoran suddenly realised that there _was_ still other occupants in the room, and said occupants were watching the whole affair quite avidly. Meiling, a look of barely contained amusement on her face, was sitting forward on her chair, a cup of tea in her hands. It was obvious she had been paying a bit _too_ much attention to the fight, as quite a lot of tea had missed her mouth completely and had ended up in her lap. 

Tomoyo was taking notes.

Sakura had deflated somewhat at this point and had sat down on the nearest chair with a thump, her arms and legs crossed, a smoldering glare fixed on Syaoran. Syaoran, after standing for a few rather excruciatingly uncomfortable seconds, had taken a seat himself.

There was an unspoken agreement that some things needed explaining. So far all that had happened was that Tomoyo had returned Syaoran the jewel ball of his sword. He knew he was expected to start things off but, quite frankly, he didn't quite know where to start, or how much to say. 

And it really wasn't helping matters, with Keroberos sitting on the rug just to his left, chewing very enthusiastically on a meat bone he had found somewhere. (Syaoran avoided looking at the beast and the bone he was chewing on because every time he looked at it, he couldn't help think how much it looked like someone's thighbone.) 

So he didn't say anything and just sat twiddling the jewel ball and shooting Sakura glances.  

Meiling took a sip of her drink, looked into the cup, swirled the contents around a bit, and then said without looking up, "So, where did you get that sword?"

Syaoran, now keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the jewel in his hands, replied after a moment. "It belonged to my father. I inherited it when he passed away."

There was a pause as this sank in. Tomoyo said in a quiet voice, "Then Jenna and Geoffrey are not your real parents..."

"No."

After another, slightly lengthier pause, Syaoran continued with a bit of a sigh. "My father died when I was very young. I do not remember much of him, besides what my mother and my sisters told me of him. He was the patriarch of our clan and until the time that I was old enough to take over, my mother became leader."

No one had noticed, but as he was talking, Meiling had gone very white in the face.

"My mother was a very respectable and gracious leader. She did an excellent job raising my sisters and me, as well as taking care of the clan's business. But something went wrong. A plague broke out in the village, one which the village healers could not find a cure. Though the clan's practices in magic were secret, rumours still floated around that were fairly close to the truth, and because of these, the clan was blamed for the outbreak. They tried to help but were refused. Eventually someone went too far. My youngest sister was killed."

There was a barely audible gasp from Tomoyo, Meiling was whiter than ever; even Keroberos had stopped chewing. Sakura was staring at the tabletop, a strange little frown on her face. 

"There was a price on my mother's head, as well as my sisters and myself. It came to a point where we were trapped. So we fled. I was given to Jenna and Geoffrey, friends of my mother and of who was believed I carried a fair resemblance. My sisters were given to friends and relatives further away. On the way however...my mother was killed protecting my sisters." 

Everyone lapsed once again into silence. 

"So..." Tomoyo started slowly, as though she wasn't entirely sure of what she was about to say. 

"Was that why you were away when we came to live here? You were out looking with your 

sisters and your mother..."

"Yes...that is correct."

"Syaoran, what was your mother's name?" Meiling had a very odd expression on her face.

"Yelan...Yelan Li."

Sakura's eyebrow shot up, though she was still looking fixated at the tabletop.

"Really? You are a Li then?" Meiling's voice came out in a strange, high-pitched sort of tone. 

Syaoran, looking a little confused, nodded. "Well. Fancy that. Could you excuse me?" Without actually waiting for a response, Meiling stood and headed off down the hall, muttering quietly to herself. Syaoran watched a little bewildered as she stepped into her room and shut the door quietly behind her.

"Did I..." Syaoran turned and looked at Tomoyo, "say something wrong?"

"Weeell...I would not exactly say _wrong."_

Syaoran frowned.

"Aah..." Tomoyo grimaced slightly and rubbed her forehead. "Perhaps you should have a look at this..." She waved a hand vaguely at the nearby bookshelf, where a thick, much-used book dislodged itself from the rest and fell with a 'thunk' in front of Syaoran. He blinked as he looked at the cover. He reached up a hand, as though to open it, but stopped and pointed. "But this is..." Tomoyo nodded.

"And I am correct in assuming that it does not belong to you..."

"No."

"Or..." He trailed off and looked at Sakura. She flashed him a looked that he correctly interpreted as a 'No', although, in different circumstances, and indeed in a more modern timeline, could quite accurately be interpreted as 'Bite Me.' It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anything else from Sakura, so he turned back to Tomoyo. "So does that mean Meiling is...?"

"Yes."

"_Ah_."

"_Ha! _I thought you clan boys were supposed to know absolutely everything, family tree included." Everyone spun to look at Hermand, who was (however he actually does it) looking smug. If he had fingernails, he would have been studying them nonchalantly as he sniffed. 

"Guess intelligence must have skipped a generation..."

There was a very loud thunk as Syaoran tried to stand up and do…well he wasn't entirely sure. It had been a long day and Syaoran was developing a headache; hurting the skull just seemed like a good stress reliever, but found that his chair would only push out so far. It took him a few seconds to realize that this was due to the fact that Tomoyo had quite strategically stuck her foot around his chair leg. She gave him a stern look, before redirecting her attention back to Hermand. "Now, Hermand, what on Earth are you talking about?"

"Well, let's just say I was familiar with our Mr. Li's great-great Grandfather. A former leader. Very fond of curses and beheadings..." his tone became very dry as he muttered "...as I found out first hand..."

"WHAT?" Hermand watched complacent as Sakura advanced on him. "_You never told us that_!"

"You never asked." 

"Yes I did! I specifically remember asking you, not 2 minutes after we got you, and all you said was 'Mind your own damn business'!"

"Sakura! Watch your language! We have guests!"

Sakura waved a hand vaguely in Syaoran's direction and said distractedly, "Oh, he does not matter..." (In which Kero snorted in mirth, being the only one to witness the look on Syaoran's face at the remark) before turning back to the grinning skull. "Why did you not just tell us the truth?!"

"Because I knew one day you would find out and I would have the satisfaction, however brief, of aggravating you this much."

"Uggh!" Sakura threw her hands into the hair, before grabbing Hermand by the top of his skull and slamming him roughly onto the tabletop so he was directly in front of her. "Now, _speak_."

Hermand turned to the side, metaphorical arms crossed and nose held high, like so many stubborn children and said, "Shan't!"

The muscle under Sakura's eye twitched, but she managed to regain her composure and said in an artificially sweet voice that would have made even the hardiest of sweet lovers teeth hurt, 

"And why is that?" 

"_Because_."

The muscle under her eye, now twitching quite psychotically, was soon joined by a twitch to what some people have fearfully come to recognize as Sakura's 'Magic Hand'. Small, barely visible sparks jumped from fingertip to fingertip. Tomoyo, eyeing the fact that loose strands of Sakura's had started to rise a little, stepped in. "Umm Hermand, perhaps it would be _wise_," she paused to stress the 'wise' bit, "to just tell us what you know."

"Fine, _ruin_ my fun. You know, I don't get much amusement around here. You three never take me anywhere. Just leave me here to gather dust..."

"_Hermand_."

"Oh _fine_..." He sighed, "Look, his Great Great Grandpappy," indicating Syaoran with a nod, "was leader way back when, and was a man you did _not_ want to cross on a bad day. I, unfortunately, found that out the hard way." At the quizzical looks he was getting from everyone, Hermand continued. "Let's just say that I...happened to acquire something that wasn't exactly mine."

"You _stole _something from the Li clan?!" Syaoran gaped at Hermand, an incredulous expression on his face.

"It was only temporary, let me assure you. And that, of course, was due to the fact that my body had the sudden, unwanted desire to be apart from my head, if you know what I mean."

"What did you take?"

Hermand made a strange sucking noise, almost as if he was trying to dislodge a stubborn piece of food from his teeth. "Well…you know your sword?"

"...Yes"

There was a short pause. "It's very pretty isn't it?"

This time, Tomoyo wasn't quick enough to hook Syaoran's chair. "YOU TRIED TO STEAL THE CLAN LEADERS _SWORD?!"_

"Did, _did _steal it, but only temporarily you understand..."

"BUT THE PUNISHMENT FOR DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS-"

"-Extremely harsh, say, for the sake of arguments, like getting ones head removed and being cursed to spend the rest of eternity as a talking, precognitive skull?"

Syaoran visibly deflated. "Oh."

"Indeed." Hermand muttered dryly. 

"No offense, and with all due respect," Tomoyo enquired, "what was so great about a sword." 

"Not 'a' sword," Syaoran paused to pat his own weapon, "_this_ sword."

Sakura looked confused. "But in Meiling's book...it said each weapon is individual to the owner...it never mentioned anything about weapons being passed on from generation to generation."

"You have to understand that a weapon is designed according to the sort of magic a person possesses. And because every person that has magic is different, so is their magic, and that is why a weapon is made individually to suit them. No one other person could use it as effectively. 

There are exceptions however. Reincarnations, for example. And, of course, the Li clan leaders. It is the magic that makes the leader." 

"You see, the next leader is chosen because he or she possesses a very specific type of magic. This sword," he tapped it again, "once the former leader has passed away, is used to find whoever has the right type of magic, and so is passed on. I was too young to take the responsibility. So my mother became my 'stand in' until such time as I could take my place as leader."

"Ahh well, now there is your problem right there."

"Sorry?"

Hermand explained, once again looking smug. "I'm sure your mother was a great person and all that, but she didn't have the right type of magic, she couldn't use your sword there. You see, on your coronation, if you had of had it, you would have resealed a number of enchantments on the moment you would have officially been appointed leader. One of which is a particular enchantment that let's the leader become aware of anything that might jeopardize the future safety of the clan. Say, if someone happened to try and steal something, or give out information that they shouldn't." 

"It's because of that little enchantment that I was found so quickly. The enchantments don't last forever, and need to be renewed every coronation otherwise they weaken. And because your mother wasn't the official leader, and because you were too young to take your place, the enchantments started to fade...or fade just enough so that someone let something slip to the wrong person.  It has happened before. Pretty rare though." 

Hermand glanced at Syaoran. "And I guess it was bad luck for you that that cheerful little plague happened to break out at a time that your clan was most vulnerable." Sakura, who seemed to be mulling over something for a while, broke the silence that followed after Hermand's little bit of input. "So…if that sword of yours is only supposed to work for you, why did it change back into its jewel form while I was using it?"

"Well, I suppose it depends on what you where doing with it." He eyed her suspiciously, his tone mocking; the tiny upturn of his lips indicated his teasing, "Just what exactly were you doing with my sword, Lady Mage."

Tomoyo quite successfully turned her spluttered choking into a convincing cough. '_My word_…' she thought as she eyed Syaoran, then the flicker of annoyance that flashed in Sakura's eyes. '_He is actually_ flirting _with her_…' Tomoyo hid her evil grin behind her raised mug. (On the vary rare occasions that Tomoyo had seen fit to grin that way, Meiling and Sakura had both stressed that they never _ever_ wanted to see that grin again, especially not directed at them. Tomoyo's evil grin could frighten an enraged mother bear on a bad day. Unpleasant things often happened to people after seeing a grin like that.) Resolving that she would have to have a little chat with Meiling later on, Tomoyo turned her attention back to what was now the beginnings of yet another argument. 

"I did nothing of the sort!" Sakura spluttered back, checks red with indignation. 

"Really? You seem to be the sort of person who would spell test anything if it sat still under your nose for long enough…"

"Look, you intrusive pile of soiled underwear, I was just doing my training. All exercises of which you will find on page 124 of Meiling's clan book. I picked up your sword by _mistake_." 

Syaoran looked at her as though he was really considering if she was telling him the truth or not, 

"Well, okay, I believe you." then added as an afterthought. "And just whose underwear are you talking about anyway?"

Keroberos, a look on his face that half suggested that he actually _had_ cracked a rib trying to stop himself being amused at the teasing, cleared his throat and spoke up. "So what did your parents have to say for themselves Meiling?"

Meiling shot him a dirty look as everyone turned to look at her standing in the doorway. She had been thoroughly enjoying the live entertainment. "Well, since you asked," she paused to shoot Keroberos a quick sharp look, "When they decided to leave the clan household, they were ordered to leave behind everything magical. This, of course, includes their weapons."

"Why did they have to do that?" Tomoyo enquired. 

"All they said was it was one of the old rules, to stop Li clan magic from spreading," Meiling shrugged as she sat down at the table. "Or something like that. Mother and father said they wanted to learn different types of magic anyway, and so it did not matter that they had to leave a few artifacts behind. Besides," she added with a grin, "all the good stuff was in the clan book that they managed to smuggle out."

"Yes, well, I do actually remember mother mentioning that father was a bit of a stuffed shirt when it came to the old traditions. She wanted to change some things, let the clan evolve, but if what he said was true," Syaoran nodded to Hermand, "I would have been the only one who could have actually made the changes permanent."        

"_Anyway_, getting back to the point," Sakura said with only a hint of annoyance, "does anyone have an explanation to why that sword returned to its jewel form when I was using it?"

Hermand made the same sucking noise as before and said, "It might just be that your magic is similar to his…similar enough to fool the sword for a brief period, anyway."

Tomoyo frowned a little. "I did not think that was even possible."

"Extremely rare, but not impossible." Hermand finished with a slightly smug grin. 

Sakura gave Syaoran a very dry look and muttered in a tone that could not have gotten any more unenthusiastic. "Oh. Lucky me."

Tomoyo laced her fingers together and placed her hands on the tabletop. "Okay, now that we have those few things straight, I think we should go back a few steps…" At everyone's slightly confused looks, she continued, "_Please_ tell me you have not forgotten about that rather disturbing display Meiling and Hermand had before? I for one would like to investigate that a little further." 

"So do I, but do we have to include him?" Sakura jerked a thumb in Syaoran's direction. "I think he has heard quite enough."

"What do you mean 'quite enough'," Syaoran retorted, "I have learned barely anything of you three, yet you have heard practically my whole life story. I hardly think that is fair."

"Fairness has nothing to do with it. You know that we are witches, and because it is becoming very obvious that we are not going to be able to erase that little piece of knowledge from your memory, you know more about us than we have ever allowed before."

Meiling rolled her eyes as Tomoyo shook her head and summoned over a roll of parchment and a quill. Completely ignoring the two once again arguing 'adults', Tomoyo and Meiling silently began trying to make sense of the premonition. "So, what exactly did we say?" 

"Well, firstly-" Tomoyo was cut short as something blue grey came streaking into the kitchen and latched claw and tooth onto Sakura's leg. "YEAOUCH! _MEEKO_?!? WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" 

The cat detached herself from Sakura's leg, narrowly avoiding a swipe, and started to yowl in a very unpleasant manner. Sakura's frown deepened. She stood up abruptly and she marched towards her bedroom.  

"What is going on?" Syaoran turned to Tomoyo and Meiling. "Can she speak to animals?"

"With our cats it is more that they speak to _us_. Meiling can speak to animals, but with our particular familiars, only their partner can understand them."

"Really?" Something of an evil glint flashed in Syaoran's eyes, but it was too small and too quick to be noticed by anyone. "How interesting…"

Meiling grinned rather smugly. "I can do much more than that, I can-"

"I think he has heard quite enough Meiling," Sakura interrupted as she strolled back into the kitchen wearing a warm traveling coat. Meiling rolled her eyes as Sakura looked down to fasten the catch at the neck of her cloak. "I do not know how long I will be, so do not wait up for me." 

She paused at the door and lowered her arm. "Come Meeko." As the cat leapt up onto her arm, then onto her shoulder, Sakura's turned to look at Syaoran. "You too, Syaoran." 

Syaoran was rather shocked that she would willingly include him in her business (up until then, he had been under the impression that she would rather gouge her own eyes out with a blunt stick than do such a thing) "What? Why? Has something bad happened? Is someone _hurt_?" 

A look bordering on sympathetic flitted over Sakura's features. "It is Mia…she-"

"_WHAT?!_" 

Sakura fixed him with a stern glare. "It is nothing to get worked up about. She…saw something that disturbed her. She went into shock. But she does need my assistance." She turned on her heel and walked out into the snow-covered front garden, Syaoran trotting at her heels. "Why are you not getting the horses? You are not going to walk there are you?"

"Of course not," she snapped. "That would take too long." She sighed and muttered. "I know I am going to regret doing this, but I am going to use my magic."

Tomoyo, Meiling and Kero (in his false form) were standing at the doorway. "Are you sure you do not need our help Sakura?"

"I will be fine Tomoyo. It is not too serious."

"Okay…if you are sure." Tomoyo replied, not sounding too sure herself.

Meiling snorted. "Of course she is sure. This _is_ Sakura we are talking about here." She glanced over at Sakura. "You should get going Sakura. We will try and get started on the premonition."

Sakura nodded and took a few steps back, until she was in more or less the centre of the yard. Closing her eyes, she said to Syaoran. "Come stand next to me." Syaoran, shooting a rather apprehensive look over his shoulder at the ladies (and one guardian beast) standing in the doorway, walked over to stand next to Sakura.

"Good, now do not move a muscle."

Syaoran glanced at her, his tone not masking his trepidation. "Why?"

"Just…keep still." Sakura spread her feet so they were shoulder width apart then raised her arms so that they were at about waist height, palms up. A cool breeze that only seemed to be affecting Sakura and the immediate area around her feet, picked up as she started to chant, her voice sounding slightly echoed. 

"_Great spirit of Time, Master of the minute and the hour, I ask thee for assistance…_" 

A pale ring of ethereal light started to whirl around Sakura then grew to include Syaoran, as did the wind, so that he too was in the eye of a miniature, snow flecked cyclone. As the wind picked up, so did the echoing of her voice, and the strength of the circle of light. 

"_Spirit of Dash.__ Creature of the sprint. I call thee for help. Aid the spirit of Time. Take me to my destination as fast as the light dispels the shadows. I beseech thee!_"

The wind suddenly started to howl in such force that Syaoran almost had to clap his hands to his ears as it buffeted his eardrums. The light started to undulate and warp. One second it seemed to resemble a creature that looked something like a fox, the next it looked like a man cloaked in flowing robes. Then, as everything seemed to reach a crescendo…the wind and light suddenly stopped. 

Sakura clapped twice. 

Syaoran had the sudden, quite sickening sensation that he was falling when he came to an abrupt, bone-jarring halt. Not expecting the sudden lack of movement, Syaoran fell ever-so-gracefully face-down in the snow. He groaned and rolled onto his back. A blurred image of Sakura slowly came into focus. She cocked an eyebrow and said in a mocking tone. "I hardly think this is the time to be playing in the snow. Or do you perhaps need some help standing up?"

Syaoran, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her (something he had picked up from his many pseudo arguments with Mia), or possibly push her into the snow too, picked himself up and brushed the snow from his clothes. "You could have perhaps warned me…"

"So sorry," She said lightly, not sounding very sorry at all, "It must have slipped my mind."

"Yeah," Syaoran mumbled under his breath as he followed her through the trees towards the farmhouse in the distance, "sure it did…"

*

Meiling shook her head as Sakura and Syaoran disappeared in a flash. "My _God_ she can be a show-off when she wants to be." 

Kero sniggered as Tomoyo replied, "She certainly has her own way of doing things…Do you remember that time she defeated the fight card by hitting it over the head with her wand?"

Meiling grimaced slightly at the memory. "Of course I do. That was the time that I realized, quite painfully might I add, that despite all the martial arts training I had done, I still had a lot to learn."

Tomoyo chuckled as she sat back down at the table and pulled the paper and quill back towards her. "But what _I_ find interesting is that she seems to be warming up to our dear Mr. Li. Wouldn't you say Meiling?"

"Under the arguments and her frequent wishes for his untimely demise...?" She grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I do believe you are right!"

"Now now ladies," Kero said as he floated over to sit on the tabletop, "we have more important things to discuss than Sakura's social life…"

"Or lack thereof," Hermand muttered dryly. 

Kero continued, ignoring Hermand's remark. "I would like to think that I am not the only one worried about that premonition…"

*

Sakura sat back and bit her lip, a worried frown on her face. Mia was sleeping peacefully now, thanks to the concoction Sakura had whipped up and made her drink. When she had arrived, Mia was sitting on her bed, tightly clutching her head and weeping. She had been rocking back and forth, her voice strained as she practically screamed for the demons in her head to go away. 

Sakura had had to use the Sleep spirit on her to calm her down enough to acknowledge that there were friendly people in the room, and then give her the potion. The potion was designed to ease bad dreams so you could deal with them; to face your fears in a way. Sakura had had to take just such a potion when she was very young. Humans have a tendency to focus on the negative things and sometimes these can come back to haunt you. 

In Sakura's case, as it was with Mia, she got 'stuck in the nightmare' due to this, and also in part, due to her magic. 

Mia sighed in her sleep as she clutched a rag doll rabbit to her chest, as Sakura regarded her. 

"So you are a Seer…" 

In a hasty explanation courtesy of Syaoran, Sakura had learned that Mia had premonitions, both in her night dreams, sometimes in her day dreams. Something like a cross between Sakura (whose premonitions came in her dreams) and Meiling (who only got them if she was awake, though she usually needed to concentrate, or use tools like tarot cards). 

But what had disturbed her most was what Eriol had told her she had said. "_Darkness…it comes from Darkness_…"

Why had Mia had that premonition? Unless the whole thing included her in some way. It didn't seem likely though. She was too young to have attracted any enemies, especially something as nasty as an actual demon. Sakura had met a few on her travels and most of them were quite unpleasant. She could certainly see some of them coming after _her_ and her name did mean Cherry Blossom, so the premonition _seemed_ to be talking about her. 

Sakura rubbed her forehead and sighed. It had been a long day and she still had to give the Jameson's an explanation. After all, she had pretty much just barged in, asked where Mia's room was and had closed the door behind her, only opening it now and again when she needed something answered or for someone to fetch her a few ingredients. 

As she stood up and stretched, she just wished Syaoran hadn't gone and blabbed _everything_ he had learned that day…

*

"So you are telling us," Eriol said, his voice only barely staying its usual calm, "that you have known them for barely a _week_ and yet you know more about them than we do?!"

Syaoran crossed his arms and regarded his adoptive brother with a stern look. "I would hardly say I know them more then you."

"Well, maybe not _more_," Isaac rationalized, "but you certainly learned something I doubt we ever would have known about." Isaac gave Syaoran a suspicious look. "Just what exactly did you do to them to make them squeal?"

"I did not make them squeal!" Syaoran replied indignantly.

Both Eriol and Isaac regarded Syaoran with identical expressions of 'I don't believe a _word_ you're saying'. 

Jenna, too worried about Mia to take in the boy's conversation, was chewing her lip and watching the stairwell fixedly. "I wonder if everything is okay…she has been in there an awful long time…"

"I am sure she is fine, love, she seemed to know what she was doing." Geoffrey reasoned; his hands on her shoulders to calm her. 

It had been horrible before Sakura had come. Isaac had run in carrying Mia who had not stopped crying since she had the premonition, Eriol closely behind. She had started to scream when they were about halfway up the stairs and no one had been able to talk any sense into her. It had torn Jenna in pieces to see her little girl in such a state, and to realize that she didn't know how to make it better. 

Then Sakura had arrived, her blue grey cat on her shoulder, and a slightly flustered Syaoran in tow and had politely but firmly asked everyone to leave the room. After a nod of reassurance from Syaoran, they had left to wait outside the door in the hallway.  

The only interaction they had was when Sakura would ask someone to fetch a number of rather obscure ingredients. But Mia's screaming and crying had ceased, Meeko had squeezed out through the door sometime later and Isaac relayed that Mia was fine and sleeping, and that she was going to be fine. With nothing else to do but wait for Sakura to reemerge, everyone had gone downstairs into the kitchen. 

"Look, I really do not know that much. Sakura was rather annoyed that I learned as much (or as little) as I did. When Meiling was about to tell me something, Sakura interrupted." Syaoran crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "She does not trust me very much."

"She does not trust _anyone_ very much." Geoffrey retorted.

"She seemed to act quite polite to you when you saw her at market the other day."

"You do not have to trust someone to be polite to them," Jenna said, finally tearing her eyes away from the stairs and paying attention to the conversation. "And there is a difference between being polite because you _have_ to and being polite because you _want_ to."

"So, you are saying that she is just being nice to you because she was just brought up that way."

Geoffrey shook his head. "No…I think she likes us.  Though, sometimes, if something gets too personal for her, she just…" he shrugged as he continued, "shuts off."

"And besides, it was _months_ before would actually say more than two words to us. Though she warmed to you two faster then she did to Eriol or me." Isaac added, nodding at Jenna and Geoffrey.

"Yes, she does seem to be less comfortable around people around her age." Eriol mused.

"Yes, I _did_ notice that…" Syaoran frowned. "Do you know why?"

Eriol shook his head. "No, but Miss Meiling did mention once that Miss Sakura has not always acted as she does now." Eriol laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them. "I guess something must have happened to her in the past to make her change."

"Which is a shame," Jenna added, "she has the potential to be such a lovely woman."

Syaoran rubbed his chin and pondered in a quiet voice. "I wonder what happened to her…it must have been something bad. From what I saw she seems like such a strong person…nothing really seems to really faze her. Unless _that_ is just a result of what happened."

"Yes, well, maybe we can discuss this at a better time," Eriol coughed and pointed discreetly to the stairway where a pair of well worn black leather boots and the hem of a skirt had appeared.

Jenna stood up immediately and met Sakura halfway up the stairs. "So, how is she?"

Sakura gave Jenna a small reassuring smile. "Mia is fine. She is sleeping right now." The smile fell as Sakura took the seat Isaac offered her. "She had a premonition, a bad one…she has not had one like it before, and so she did not know how to deal with it. She was…stuck in the nightmare, reliving it over and over again." Jenna gasped and held a hand to her mouth. 

"So, all those things you were asking for…they were for a potion to make her forget?" Geoffrey asked. 

Sakura shook her head. "No, she cannot forget it. She needs to deal with things like that; otherwise it will just keep happening. The potion I made for her is part of a spell that will…" she paused as she searched for the right word, "-ease the bad dreams, so she can find a way to deal with them. The spell will reactivate whenever she has any dreams and premonitions that are bad." 

Sakura stood and got her cloak from the hook by the door. "I must be going. Meeko will be keeping an eye on her, so if she has anymore problems, she will inform me." 

"Wait, Sakura. At least stay for dinner. We want to thank you for your help."

"I appreciate the offer, but I merely did what had to be done. You do not need to thank me." Sakura snapped the catch on her cloak and adjusted it around her shoulders as Jenna got up and went to get the door. 

"Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded as she stepped out. "I am sure. Thank you for the kind offer." She said goodbye to Jenna at the door and turned to leave when Syaoran came running out. "Sakura! Wait!"

Sakura paused in her step and sighed before turning around to face him, her hands on her hips. 

"Yes?" She inquired, her face carefully blank.

Syaoran paused in front of her and smiled a little. "Please stay for dinner. I promise I will try not to irritate you."

Sakura, not looking very impressed, turned on her heal and stepped out into the yard, heading towards the trees into the forest. "Funny, you seem to have broken that promise already."

Syaoran grimaced slightly, glancing up as snow started to lightly fall. "I am being serious. We…_I_ would really appreciate it if you stayed for dinner. After all, I still have to properly thank you for helping me with my injury the other day."

Sakura threw her hands in the air in a frustrated gesture as she snapped, "And why should I care what you want?"

Syaoran, trying to keep things light to avoid another impending argument replied, "Because I am witty and charming?"

Sakura snorted. "Do not flatter yourself. I have met _vermin_ with more wit and charm than you."

"Sakura, _please_."

"You should not beg, you know. It is not very becoming."

Syaoran placed a hand on her shoulder gently, stopping her from entering the clearing they had earlier arrived in. "Come on, have dinner with us." 

Sakura made a noise in her throat that resembled a snarl and jerked her shoulder out of his grip. "_Do not touch me_." Something like fire glimmered in her emerald eyes as Syaoran lowered his hand hastily and looked at her, his face concerned. "I am not going to hurt you Sakura." He replied, his tone soft.

Sakura brushed off her shoulder and all but stomped into the centre of the clearing. "Yes, well, forgive me for not believing you, but I happen to know a few things about people, and one of those things is that you just can_not _trust anyone."

"What about Tomoyo and Meiling then?"

"_They_ are different."

"Oh _really_? How so?"

Sakura's nostrils flared, as she bit out through clenched teeth. "_Because they are.__ End of discussion_." 

He should have known better than to bait her, to let her get into the swing of her arguments. Syaoran should have let her go and cool off. But Syaoran seemed to have something of an unfortunate blind spot when it came to things like common sense…or at least common sense when in regards to Sakura. 

Or perhaps he was just stupid.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?!"  
  


"Because it works for me!" 

Sakura had had enough. All she wanted to do was go back home, inform Meiling and Tomoyo of what she had learned and then go to bed, despite the fact that it was still early. She turned her back on him and raised her arms as she had done before. As the ethereal light and the wind picked up, she did not hear him call out for her to wait. Nor did she hear as he came to stand in front of her. She was too busy concentrating on summoning her spirits in her mind that it wasn't until there was an overwhelming sensation of scent and body heat that she got distracted from her spell.

He was kissing her. 

It wasn't particularly deep or passionate, nor, on the other hand, was it just a light peck on the lips. A hand came up to gently caress her cheek, and it was then that an integral part of Sakura's personality broke out of the admittedly pleasant fog her mind was drifting in and snapped to attention. This particular part of her personality could be likened to a spark; a flame that had fueled her behavior for the last four or so years of her life. It was the part of her personality that, up until that fateful day when she had almost met her maker, had been repressed.

And we all know what happens when a spark is given fuel...

Syaoran broke away and took a small step back, his cheeks flushed. "Sakura…I…uhh…I really did no-"

A ringing slap cracked through the silent forest like a whip.

There was no actual magic behind the slap, but something, whether or not it had anything to do with physical strength, had added an extra sting to the blow.

Punches would have been envious of that slap…  

Syaoran stumbled back, gingerly touching his cheek where a bright red hand-shaped welt had already begun to appear, a look of shock on his face.

He looked up, only to see she had turned her back on him. He could see her shoulders shaking from the rage she was obviously trying very hard to bottle up. 

In a low, hissing voice she said quietly, "Time. Dash. Take me away from here," and was gone in a flash.

* 

"SHE _WHAT_?!"

Syaoran tentatively touched his cheek. "She slapped me…"

Eriol, barely able to keep a straight face asked, "But why would she go and do a thing like that?"

Syaoran accepted the cool clothe Jenna handed him with a grateful sort of grimace and pressed it to his cheek. "I uhh…" He avoided everyone's gaze and mumbled the last part so that no one quite caught what he said. 

"I am sorry" Isaac said, not even bothering to hide his amusement anymore, "I did not quite catch that."

Syaoran grimaced and gave him a sour look. "I kissed her."

"…"

"_YOU **WHAT**_?!"

"I already _told_ you. I should not have to repeat myself. _And it is not that funny Eriol_." He growled at his positively howling brother.

"And she _slapped_ you just because of that. My word…you must be a _terrible _kisser_._"

"I do not think that has anything to do with it." Syaoran muttered dryly. "I just think I might have…overstepped her personal boundaries a little far. _Would you _please_ stop laughing, Eriol?!_"

"Overstepped her boundaries huh?" Geoffrey said, covering his mouth with his hand to try and hide a grin. "I believe that is something of an understatement, Syaoran."

"Yes, I know," He sighed, his tone annoyed. "But I-I do not know _why_ I did it. I…I really wanted her to stay for dinner. I guess," He sighed once more. "I just want to get to know her better. And," Syaoran kneaded his forehead with his palms. "I know it was a _stupid_ thing to do, but…I do not know, I needed to get her attention and I thought…I guess I just panicked and…she was just _there_ and-"

Eriol's was _already_ gasping for breath from laughing so much when Isaac went and said, "Hold up a second there brother. _We_ are 'just here'. You are not going to try and kiss us are you?"

Syaoran glared at him and said. "I hate you." Then grimaced and growled. "_Would someone get him a glass of water before he chokes?!_"

Tears were streaming down Eriol's face, but he managed to calm down enough to remember how to breathe and say, "That has got to be _the _funniest thing I have ever heard."

"Even funnier than the time Syaoran was nine and got stuck hanging upside-down from a fence post all day because he somehow got his shirt collar snagged to it?"

"Oh no, this is _much_ more amusing."

"Are you two _quite_ finished?"

"We have more if you want to hear it." Eriol said eagerly.

"I hate you both." Syaoran responded crossly.

*

"YOU _WHAT_?!"

Sakura, grinding up some dried beetles, replied in a tone suggesting that she did something as normal as hang out the washing, "I slapped him."

"Why on earth did you do that for?!"

"Because he kissed me." Sakura replied in the same light tone as before. Tomoyo and Meiling gaped at her in shock as she sniffed the contents of her bowl. "Are you sure these beetles were fresh? They smell a little off to me…"

"**_WHAT_?!**"

"Theses beetles…they smell old."

Meiling tugged the bowl out of her hands and slammed it on the table. "SAKURA! ENOUGH ABOUT THE BEETLES!" She had an almost maniacal glint in her eye, and her grin was far from reassuring. "He actually _kissed_ you?!"

"Yes," She replied as though talking to a young child, "and I slapped him for it."

Tomoyo pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "Sakura, I know it has been a while since you have been, dare I say, _intimate_ with a man, but you do not slap someone as nice as Syaoran if they kiss you!"

Sakura tapped her finger to her chin in thought. "Hmm…perhaps you are right…"

Meiling and Tomoyo couldn't believe their ears. "Really?"

"Yes. I should have kicked him."

"_Sakura!_" Tomoyo chided.

"_Right_ up between the le-"

"_SAKURA!_"

"Something the matter ladies?" she said mildly.

Tomoyo looked about ready to start pulling her hair out. As it was, her hair was twisting itself angrily around her head into thin, snake-like braids. She rubbed her temples. "I should have developed wrinkles by now, with all the stress you cause me…" She muttered.

"Nonsense. I do not cause stress. I make life interesting." She picked up her now finely crushed beetles and poured them into the steaming cauldron. "Now, shall we do the spell ladies?"

"Only if you promise to tell us, in detail, just how nice that kiss was." Meiling said with a grin as she went to stand next to Tomoyo and Sakura at the cauldron. 

"I will make no such promise because I received no pleasure from that kiss." She sniffed indignantly. "Can we concentrate on the task at hand now please?"

"Oh fine. But do not think you have heard the end of this, young lady. We are not finished with you yet…" Meiling replied. 

Sakura sighed. "I was afraid you would say that…"

"And here I thought you feared nothing." 

Tomoyo rolled her eyes as Sakura grimaced at Meiling, who was grinning smugly. "Now now, let's get on with it…" She poured a drop of sweet smelling liquid into the simmering brew as Meiling and Sakura added their final ingredients. The potion turned clear as the surface settled and became glassy like a mirror. 

They started to chant as wisps of smoke swirled around them and the cauldron. 

_"Theleena, _

_Goddess of Wisdom and Truth  _

_We ask for your aid and knowledge, _

_Show us the demon by the name Bloody Silence_

_Great Goddess, hear our plea!"_

The liquid in the cauldron glowed as bright as a sun, causing the three ladies to cover their eyes until it finally dimmed. Where there had been a mirror like surface that had shown no reflection, now was the image of something so grotesque that Tomoyo had to avert her eyes lest she was sick. The image was of something that looked like it came out of someone's worst nightmare. 

Parts of it seemed human, but that was only due to the fact that the parts that weren't human seemed to be wearing the parts that were like an ill fitting suit.    

Meiling was looking at the image, her lip curled in disgust. But her look turned to worry when she saw Sakura. "Sakura? What 's wrong?"

Sakura's face was pale, but she did not look afraid. "_That creature_...I have seen it before…in my dreams."

"So this is the creature you saw…this was the thing you were talking about when you told us about that dream the other day."

"Yes…but I had another one…that was different. This time it was after me…I was being chased through the forest. I am not exactly sure where…but there was something wrong with everything around me."

"What do you mean by 'wrong' exactly?"

"Everything was out of proportion…the trees seemed bigger…the ground closer…it just did not seem right."

Tomoyo, now sitting at the table, her bout of nausea over, asked. "So what are we going to do?"

Meiling swirled her hand through the potion, causing the image to vanish as the liquid disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I for one would like to have a bit more information than what we got from that premonition." She crossed her arms as her expression become cynical. "Why is it that premonitions have to always be so sketchy and unclear? For once I would like one to be blatantly obvious…'A big bad demon by the name fill-in-the-blank will be attacking so-and-so at exactly 5:45pm on the date of June the 5th of this year. To kill fill-in-the-blank, you must first-"

"Okay Meiling, I think we get the picture." Kero said with a wry grin.

"Maybe we _can_ make the premonition more informative…It is worth a try…" She glanced at 

Hermand. "That is to say, if Hermand is up to it…"

He looked at her suspiciously. "You make it sound like it's going to be dangerous…"

"Well…_yes_ but at least you cannot get hurt. You _are_ technically dead after all…" She said rather cheerfully.

"Boy…can _I_ feel the love…" He answered, his tone bone dry. 

*

He sat up with a start, almost knocking the half empty bottle of thick, blood-red liquid off the bedside table, his brown-blonde hair drenched with sweat. The moonlight filtering through the window reflected in his fearful blue eyes. His voice came out as barely a whisper. "_Oh God…not Vilaar…why did she have go to Vilaar…_" 

*


	9. Repercussions

**Blessed Be**

_Ahh__, bless, yet another chapter for your reading pleasure…and it's long too so you just know lotsa crap is gonna happen (grins evilly and cackles…) )_

_Big, _**_bold_**_, _**_italicized_**_, _**_underlined_**_, _**_CAPSLOCKED_**_, _**_THANKIES!! _**_To everyone who reviewed…sniffle you're all just so supportive sniffle sniffle_ **_THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!_**

_And of course, big THANKIES to bunni (hmm…how else can I format the writing…) for editing for moi and whipping my sad, badly spelled, grammatically incorrect little stories into shape._

_Right, well, let's get on with things then -_

_Enjoy! _

_Oh, by the way, the chapter was being weird when I tried to upload it, the star things I usually use to indicate pov switches and scene changes weren't working, so I'll be using a '_**99'**_to indicate breaks, ok? Ok…_

**Chapter Nine: Repercussions**

**99**

Syaoran sat, elbows propped on the tabletop, his bottom lip resting on the tips of his steepled fingers. The look on his face suggested that he had just seen something rather surprising.

This, as it turns out, is incorrect.

He had, in fact, been sitting in just such a position, with just such an expression on his face, for about an hour.

Unlike Meiling's account of the clan archives, Syaoran's not only contained much more information on rituals and magic, but it in itself _was_ magic. It was also quite temperamental. Syaoran was sure that had something to do with Clow. Respect to his almighty and powerful ancestor aside, the man was a bit strange and created the book with something resembling a personality. If it didn't like the way you were reading it, it would slam shut on your fingers and not open until you apologized. And if you happened to accidentally spill something on it…well, sometimes even your imagination couldn't dream up the sorts of things the book would do to you.

At the moment it was mocking Syaoran with a page-rustling sort of laugh.

He had opened it to the family tree section of the book. Spanning two pages, when you first turn to it, all it looks like is a bunch of tiny squiggly writing connected by hair-thin lines, but with a bit of gentle coaxing, the book would essentially 'zoom-in' to whatever part of the family tree you wanted to see. It also automatically included any new family members that happened to arise.

Syaoran had been curious to see just how he was related to Meiling.

And now he knew.

And now he wished he had listened to that little piece of advice about cats and curiosity.

For there, in dotted black ink, was a line connecting Syaoran's name to Meiling's.

They were engaged, by an arranged marriage.

"Oh Lord…" Syaoran croaked, not for the first time.

And he really wished that the damn book would stop snickering at him.

**99**

Dreams are curious things. They can make you scream out loud, or wake you in tears. And sometimes they can give you answers you just can't seem to get when you're awake.

Just such a dream had presently woken Tomoyo. She sat staring into the dark gray of post-midnight and mulled over what the dream had shown her. It hadn't really registered with her at the time, given the surprise she had received when hearing the news, but Sakura had been _far_ too calm about the whole kissing thing. Sure, she had said she had slapped him, but Tomoyo prided herself on knowing Sakura pretty damn well, and she knew that to Sakura at least, a slap just wasn't enough. The woman had a lot of pent up anger and someone doing something like that should have caused an effect similar to poking a sleeping tiger with a stick.

Unbeknownst to Tomoyo, Meiling sitting up and staring into darkness in a similar fashion to Tomoyo in the room over, was thinking the exact same thing.

And like all great minds thinking alike, they came to the same immediate conclusion.

"She talked to _Eris_!"

**99**** **

Eris watched the man asleep at the table with a look that almost resembled pity. He had fallen asleep right were he sat. By the looks of things, he had fallen asleep right on his steepled fingers, but his head had slipped off and had landed onto the open pages of a book. And from what Eris could see, the book hadn't liked this much at all. It was currently turning Syaoran's hair a number of rather fetching colours, a sort of mustard yellow being the current favourite. And he still had a bright red hand print right across his cheek.

But Eris didn't have time to stand around and watch. She had a job to do and she was sure as hell going to do a good one. After all, it wasn't everyday Sakura came to her voluntarily. She had been practically growling when she spoke. It had been a little unnerving, even for Eris, and this is coming from someone who has made a living out of talking to angry people.

And because Sakura was a friend, Eris was going to use her 'Special Potion'.

Unless being used, it needed to be kept ice cold and in total darkness. Only a truly stupid person with a death wish would shake it.

In fact, it was probably best to stay as far away from it as possible, say on the other side of a very thick wall, or better yet, a handy mountain range.

It really wasn't very pleasant.

Eris, her tongue sticking out slightly from the corner of her mouth, slowly and very carefully opened the lid of the small chest she had with her. While the mist escaped from inside, she pulled on a thick glove that looked as though you'd have difficulty bending the fingers and reached into the chest to pluck out a small steaming vile, occupied by a jet black liquid.

Eris paused to think of just what she would do with the little piece of nastiness she held in her gloved hand. It was the kind of potion that could break the fundamental rules of the universe; break into alternate dimensions and destroy planets, so it really wasn't necessary to say that Syaoran was pretty much in mortal danger.

Being as careful as she could not to make a sound, Eris tiptoed over and hovered over the slumbering form.

She tilted the bottle just a little and a small, black droplet clung to the lip and hung there, as it started to gather weight. She held her breathe as she tilted the bottle the tiniest bit more…

"AAARRGGGHH!" The sound of a pain-filled scream echoed through the small kitchen.

Eris's resulting shriek caused Syaoran to wake suddenly and sit up, bumping his head into her hand…and sending the vile flying up into the air. Both Eris and Syaoran watched it as it spun into the air: Syaoran with a look of confusion, and Eris with a look of abject terror. As Eris ducked for cover, Syaoran watched as the vile plummeted and smashed…onto the open pages of his clan archives.

The book snapped shut.

There was a ringing kind of silence as Eris watched the book, wide-eyed.

The book belched, emitting a small wisp of black coloured smoke.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!" Eris jumped and tore her eyes away from the book to look up into the angry red face of Syaoran.

"Err…" was all she could muster.

"WHO-" Syaoran's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute…I have seen you before…talking to Sakura…" His voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "What are you doing in my house?"

"Ahh…well," She shot the book a nervous glance, "you see…umm…Sakura sent me."

"Sakura…sent you?" His look became suspicious. "Why?" When Eris didn't answer; her eyes merely flicking the book another glance, Syaoran followed her gaze. "And just what exactly was in that vile…"

"Um, well…you see…"

"To put it simply, revenge." Both turned to look at the source of the voice. Unnoticed by either of them due to the confusion, a small black _something_ had sat itself quite comfortably on the ground and was watching them both with a cool expression on its face. It had been the reason for Eris' scream, having shot through the window just as Eris was about to tip the liquid onto Syaoran and had latched onto Eris's gloved hand, digging claw and tooth deep into the leather so that it pierced her skin.

It was unclear on just what exactly the creature was. It didn't seem to know itself.

It almost looked like a small black cat, but with a multitude of bat-like wings running along its back; sharp, lethal looking black claws and covered head to toe in rough looking scales.

And it had red eyes.

Before Syaoran could say anything, Eris butted in and said rather testily. "I have a job to do, Meiling."

"I know. That is why I am here." The small black creature quivered, and as Syaoran watched, getting redder in the face by the second, it turned into the disheveled form of Meiling. "You were just about to make a very bad mistake." She adjusted her dress and crossed her arms.

Eris looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Before Meiling could answer, there was a continuous screaming 'WAAAAAAAA!!!' coming towards them from somewhere outside the open window. No one had a chance to look outside, as a form that looked remarkably like Tomoyo riding an out-of-control broomstick came barreling through the window and landed with a sickening sort of thud, right on top of Syaoran, promptly knocking him out. The broom, still traveling under its own momentum, hit the floor, somersaulted twice in the air then smacked Meiling right between the eyes with the handle.

"OUCH!"

"Ooh…that is going to leave a nasty bruise…"

"Yes, thank you so _very_ much, Madame Obvious…"

There was a weak sort of 'ow' from the heap so Meiling, rubbing her forehead, and Eris heaved Tomoyo to her feet. She staggered and, massaging the small of her back, muttered, "Ouch…not one of my better landings, I admit…"

Eris, grinning broadly, replied, "Nonsense! Could not have done it better myself!"

"Yes, yes, it was positively swanlike. Now, could you help me pick him up?" Meiling snapped as she tried to haul the lifeless form of Syaoran off the floor. They managed to haul the unconscious man to the table and deposited him onto one of the chairs. Once this was done, the three ladies sat down themselves to explain just exactly what was going on.

Eris crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "So, what are you two doing here?" She smirked, "Come to give me a hand?"

"I think not," Tomoyo replied contemptuously, "We came here to stop you!"

"Stop me?" Eris looked almost insulted, "Why on Earth would you do that?"

"Because you were about to do something incredibly stupid…" Meiling supplied, as though talking to someone who was, as it were, incredibly stupid.

Eris made a sort of huffing snort in the back of her throat. "I was just doing my job…if you want to be angry with someone, be angry at Sakura. _She_ was the one who sent me."

Tomoyo sighed before she answered. "Perhaps, but it is in her best interest that we should stop you." Tomoyo paused and looked thoughtful. "Even if she does not know it yet…"

Eris cocked an eyebrow, her curiosity peaked.

"We better keep it down though. I do not want to wake anyone." Tomoyo said, glancing up at the staircase.

"Actually, I am surprised no one has come down, with all the racket you were making, Tomoyo."

Eris waved it off. "Oh, you do not have to worry about that. I put a sleeping spell over everyone who was in the house. They will not wake until dawn."

"_Oh_. Well. Good…"

Eris shifted in her seat and said. "So, just exactly _why_ did you stop me carrying out my duty?"

"Because…well, surely it is obvious?" Tomoyo enquired.

At Eris's blank look, Meiling continued.

"That Sakura and Syaoran…share a sort of…chemistry?"

"I will admit that they seem to click in an odd sort of way, but I do not see how this should stop me from carrying out my work." Eris retorted.

"They would cease to 'click' if you go and turn him into pond scum or whatever it was you were going to do to him." Meiling pointed out.

"Well…_okay…_I guess you have a point…even if it does ruin all my fun…" Eris muttered.

Meiling reached over and patted Eris on the hand. "I am sure there are other hapless victims for you to torment somewhere Eris, you will be fine."

"In the meantime," Tomoyo began, "could you tell us just what Sakura actually wanted you to do to Syaoran?"

"Well…she was not very specific. She was just angry when she talked to me. I could not get a straight answer out of her." She shrugged. "I was just going to…improvise a little…"

"Improvise…" Tomoyo said with an air of confusion, "Just what exactly do you mean by that?"

"She means she was just going to go in with no plan whatsoever, think up the most unpleasant thing she could think to do to him then leave nothing but his festering remains for his family to find in the morning."

Eris nodded. "Pretty much."

"_Right_."

"So," said Eris, lacing her fingers together, "Now that you have so successfully stopped me from carrying out most certain pain and dismemberment on our dear Mr. Unconscious here, what are you two going to do now?"

"We need to do a spell on Hermand to get more information on a premonition he and Meiling had." replied Tomoyo.

"Really?" Eris said with interest, "What kind of spell?"

"We-ell…when we say 'spell'…"

"We mean curse." Tomoyo finished.

Eris grinned. "Ooh, delving into the big bad black arts huh? Well, you certainly came to the right person."

"Not necessarily Eris," said Tomoyo," All we are doing is…boosting the curse that is already on Hermand. We are not _actually_ cursing anyone."

"You say tom-ay-to, I say tom-ah-to…" Eris muttered under her breath.

"_Anyway_," Meiling continued, "we need our book back that you borrowed the other day, the almanac on curses and counter curses."

"No problem." She screwed up her eyes as though trying to see something in the distance, then pointed her finger at the table and said, "Appear." Something like a small black hole appeared in the wood of the table as the spinning shape of a book floated out. Tomoyo gazed at the now shrinking black hole and said, "Is that _really_ necessary? I always feel like something hell dimension-ish should pop out whenever you do that."

Eris shrugged, "Not really, but it seems to impress most people." She handed the book to Tomoyo then sat back in her chair. "So, on the subject of spells and what-not, are you two planning on doing a spell to give Sakura and Syaoran a little nudge in the right direction?"

Meiling and Tomoyo exchanged glances. "We never really thought about it…and even if we had, I do not think it would be a very good idea…" started Tomoyo.

"The last time we tried something like that, it went a bit disastrous, and that was _before_ Sakura found out about it…" Meiling added.

"I'm not talking about a full true love spell; I was more implying a 'slight nudge in the direction of something resembling affection'."

"It was not as if the side effects were permanent…" continued Meiling, who seemed to have wondered off onto her own path.

Tomoyo looked thoughtful, "That might work, but I think they already have a sort of affection towards each other. They just do not see it."

"How about a spell to make them see what is right in front of them then?" supplied Eris.

"…the scales _eventually_ fell off…"

Tomoyo nodded. "Hmm, yes, I think that is a possibility." She smiled. "And I believe I know just the spell that we can use."

Eris rubbed her hands together, "Excellent! When can we start?"

"…and the odor was not really _that_ unpleasant…"

"I think we should leave it for later." She glanced out the window to the sky that was just starting to lighten on the horizon. "We had better get going. Everyone will be awakening soon."

"Um, yes…good idea. Well, until then!" Eris waved and disappeared out the window where she could be seen walking over to a tree with a broom wedged not so discreetly in the lower branches. Tomoyo had hopped onto her broom and was floating out the window when she paused and sighed. "Meiling, are you coming?"

"And when you really think about it, the secretions were not really _that_ disgus-huh-what?" She replied, finally entering the land of the present, "Oh, right…coming!"

It was not long after Tomoyo and Meiling the crow had flown off, that the house stirred and wondered just why Syaoran was slumped over the table with a bruise, a bad-mood, and mustard yellow hair…

**99**

It had taken a lot of coaxing, a fair few threats and even a bit of bribery to make the book change his hair back to its natural colour, but Syaoran was once again a brunette and currently sitting in the hayloft, brooding. Syaoran grimaced as he gingerly touched his cheek. "What was I thinking? I just had to go kiss her…a simple tap on the shoulder probably would have worked, but nooo, I had to go in and do the one thing that would infuriate her the most…I am such an idiot…"

"Did you know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, brother?" grinned Eriol as he clambered up into the hayloft, tossing Syaoran an apple.

"Really? I thought using a live chicken as a hat was the first sign of madness," Isaac added as he climbed up.

"No, that is just old man Peterson," Eriol turned back to Syaoran. "Not in your usual tree today, I see…"

Shooting both Eriol and Isaac a mild glare, he muttered, "Too cold…" He eyed them both as they made themselves comfortable amongst the hay bales and said, "What are you two doing up here anyway?"

Isaac feigned offense, "What? Can a man not be concerned about his dear brother?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Right. Now really, what do you want?"

Eriol, wiping his glasses on the edge of his shirt, replied, "Isaac is telling the truth, Syaoran. We are just concerned about you." He put his glasses back on and looked up, unable to hide the grin. "And we feel you are completely incompetent when it comes to the world of courting and felt you could use our help."

Syaoran snorted. "I think the kind of advice you would give would make Sakura do more than just slap me next time…"

"Oh, so there will be a next time will there?" Isaac said eagerly.

Syaoran shot him a glare. "I did not mean that…" He crossed his arms. "And I do not need your advice."

"Of course not. After all, your last attempt worked magnificently…" Eriol added mildly.

While Syaoran glared at Eriol, Isaac said. "So, just what exactly do you see in Sakura?"

Syaoran frowned. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"Sakura is scary and you like her. Explain."

"She is not scary. Just…irritable."

"Yes, and leprosy is just a skin disease." added Eriol dryly.

Syaoran huffed and took a bite out of his apple. "Look, I just like her okay? I do not know why…"

"Come now, surely a smart man like yourself can figure it out." Isaac urged.

"Why do you two want to know? It is not really any of your business."

"Sure it is. We are your brothers, after-all." Isaac added brightly.

"Besides, we need some entertainment until it is time to do our afternoon chores."

"I still do not see why I should tell _you_…" Syaoran said darkly.

"Ahh, come now," Isaac coaxed. "We swear nothing you say will leave this loft." Syaoran looked suspiciously at the faces of his brothers. Isaac was grinning at him in a 'I swear I'm telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth' sort of way, and Eriol just had his usual grin on his face which could, lets face it, mean a lot of things, but taken in this context probably meant he wasn't going to repeat whatever Syaoran divulged.

Syaoran sighed and stared out into the distance. "I just do not know what it is…I mean, she is beautiful, and smart…and _powerful_, but that is not what I find so…" He paused, his eyebrows crinkling into a frown as though in thought. "There is just something about her…she just makes me feel...I feel different whenever we are together…almost like I have known her forever but without actually knowing anything about her…" There was a soft 'clink' that caused Syaoran to finally look up and come back to the present. He almost did a double take. Eriol and Isaac were both looking as though they had just heard something that was as shocking as it was somewhat disturbing. Isaac leaned over to Eriol and said in what could only be a whisper if everyone in the near vicinity was hearing impaired. "My _God_, did you know he was in_ love_ with her?"

After a noticeable amount of spluttering, Syaoran came out with an intelligent and utterly convincing retort. "_I AM NOT_!"

Really, one might as well have attached a glowing neon sign to his forehead that read 'I'm in denial'.

Eriol, whose glasses had fallen off completely (the cause of the 'clink'), ignored Syaoran's outburst and pseudo whispered back, "I knew he carried affection for the girl, but not _this_ much. Do you think we should start organizing the wedding?" At this point Syaoran had gone bright red with both rage and complete embarrassment. It was quite difficult to see which was winning the fight.

"_DO NOT MENTION THAT WORD!_"

Eriol and Isaac blinked and exchanged looks. "What word?" Isaac said after a short silence.

Because his face and ears couldn't possibly get any redder, Syaoran's hands started to turn pink. "Uh…it is just…my clan archives said…" Both Isaac and Eriol leaned a little closer as Syaoran's voice started to get quieter. "…I am…engaged to Meiling…"

"**_WHAT?!?_**" shrieked Isaac.

"My, you certainly do work fast…" said Eriol under his breath.

Syaoran buried his head in his hands and mumbled, "By an arranged marriage. Oh God…why _me_?"

Since Isaac looked a little shocked to speak, Eriol interjected with his pearls of wisdom. "Well, look on the bright side. Your clan is pretty much extinct, so that should make the marriage void!"

Syaoran glared at Eriol through his fingers and grumbled. "Thank you for that astute assessment of my clan, but…I suppose you have a point…" He finished, looking hopeful.

Eriol smiled that smile of his. "Of course I do! Now, if you want to win over our dear Miss Kinomoto's heart, you are going to need to learn how to court a woman..."

"_I know how to court a woman!_" Syaoran almost yelled in indignation, but mostly yelled in embarrassment.

"Ah yes, we see the fruits of your last attempt are now turning a lovely shade of green…" Eriol pointed out, glancing at the handprint bruise on Syaoran's cheek.

"Just so you know, Brother, women tend to prefer flowers and poetry and such, rather than being leapt upon when they are first getting to know someone." Isaac added, finally getting over his shock.

Syaoran growled. "I know all that. I _have_ done it before you know…"

Isaac and Eriol froze, bug-eyed with amazement. "_You_ have courted someone?!?"

Syaoran took a deep breath. "Not really voluntarily. My second eldest sister, Fanren, she introduced me to some of the eligible ladies of her town, practically forced me to be the 'dashing gentlemen'. I was not interested, but she made me do it, flowers, poetry and all".

Isaac went in a sudden coughing fit as Eriol cringed. Syaoran frowned. "What was _that_ look for?"

"Face it brother, you do not have an artistic bone in you body. My goodness, you must have been horrible…"

Syaoran grimaced, the ghost of a past memory rising up to humiliate once again. (It was bad enough that she had laughed at him in that behind-the-hand little twitter that some highborn ladies seemed to have, but she actually had the gall to look as though she pitied him and his lack of artistic prowess.) "I admit it was bad, but that was just because I was not really interested in any of the ladies my sister introduced me to."

"Oh, so does this mean that you are going to write our dear Miss Kinomoto an epic poem of love and devotion then, hmm?" Eriol inquired.

Isaac rubbed his hands together with glee. "Ooh. This will be good…"

"I assure you," Syaoran growled through his teeth. "Even if I was daft enough to think poetry would do any good, I sure as hell would not read any of it to you two."

"Come on, brother." Isaac grinned. "We can proof read it for you! And if it really stinks, we will know to have good seats to watch your impending humiliation."

"And once again, I ask myself _why_ I wanted to come back to this…" Syaoran muttered under his breath, as his brothers dissolved into fits of laughter.

**99**

"_Sakura!_" Tomoyo hissed, "_How many times have I told you not to do that?!?_"

"Oh, about…a hundred, maybe a hundred and fifty times…give or take a few," Sakura replied mildly as she strolled through the snow covered street, leading Sparrow by the reins. Tomoyo let out a very unladylike snort of contempt as she watched Sakura and Sparrow disappear through the snow.

Sakura was being childish.

She knew it, and much to Tomoyo and Meiling's annoyance, she really didn't seem to care. They had ridden into town to collect a few things from the store that they needed to 'boost' the curse on Hermand, and had been leading their horses through the snowy streets when they noticed Syaoran coming in their direction. Well, to be truthful, by all appearances only Tomoyo and Meiling seemed to have seen him; Sakura just seemed to look right through him, as though he didn't even exist. Then he spotted them and had made a beeline for them. Still, Sakura didn't acknowledge his presence, even when he called out her name.

When he reached them, Sakura walked right through him.

Not 'walked right through him' as in bumped past him and ignored him, that's 'walked right though him' _literally_. As though he was as insubstantial as a shadow.

Tomoyo scowled, something she rarely did, but with Sakura acting the way she had been of late, was finding herself doing quite regularly. "One of these days someone is going to notice her blatantly doing magic, and it will be Imar all over again." She muttered under her breath as she watched Sakura and her horse continue down the street.

"What happened in Imar?"

Both Tomoyo and Meiling froze and went slightly pink. Though he had been standing in shock when Sakura had passed right through him, he had apparently recovered enough to catch what Tomoyo had said.

"Um…it is a long story…" Tomoyo grinned in a sheepish way and collected Syaoran's arm, turning him around and leading him in the direction Sakura had gone. Meiling, catching the quick look Tomoyo had shot her, grabbed his other arm as well. "Yes, a _very_ long story," she said, "Quite interesting and one I am sure Sakura would rather tell you, when she is ready, than let us say anything about."

"Oh," Replied Syaoran, unable to stop the pink tinge to his cheeks. (Even though the arranged marriage was as good as void, as far as he was concerned, he still couldn't help feeling embarrassed about it. And he had made his brothers swear they would never ever let Meiling get wind of it, on pain of limb removal and games of 'Who Can Squeal For Mercy The Loudest'.) "So, never, then," he finished with a grin.

Meiling gave him a wry smile, "Ahh, but you should not give up on her so easily. She will come around…eventually." Meiling titled her head to the side for a second as a thought occurred. "Maybe you should try getting her drunk. That might work!"

"Meiling!" Tomoyo scolded. "Just because Sakura cannot handle her drink, does not mean we should use it against her." She turned to Syaoran as Meiling rolled her eyes. "So, what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Well," he started, giving Meiling a sidelong glance. "Firstly, I would like to know just what you and Eris were doing in my house the other day."

"_We_ were there to make sure Eris did not do her job."

At Syaoran's puzzled look, Tomoyo continued, "You do know what Eris is, do you not?"

"What…aside from crazy?"

Meiling snickered. "Eris is a vengeance witch, surely you have heard of them in your travels?"

"I have, actually, even met a few. But none of them look like her. All the other ones I met are a lot more…scaly."

"Eris is in a class of her own. Though she deals in the black arts, she has somehow managed to do so without the being affected by the side effects."

"So…if Eris is a vengeance witch, that means she was going to do something to me…" Syaoran sighed and grimaced, "I must have _really_ stepped in it with Sakura for her to call a vengeance witch onto me…"

Tomoyo chuckled and said, "Sakura does not really think when she gets angry. She is usually quite controlled, but get her angry and all sense and logic flies out the window. She is a lot like her brother in that respect, actually…" She finished mildly.

"Her brother..? Wasn't he the one that was bellowing for Sakura that day you so hastily sent me on my way?"

Meiling nodded, "One and the same. He has a complete disregard for the rules when he gets riled up. And he is the most irrational, pig headed man you are likely to meet. He is almost insanely protective of Sakura. He would rather gnaw his own arms off than let anything bad happen to her." She snickered, "There was this one time, back when we were all living in Imar, Tomoyo and I were…experimenting, shall we say, with a spell I had found in one of my mother's books. Anyway, it called forth a light spirit. Little did we know at the time, _and do not let Sakura find out that we told you this_, but Sakura was deathly afraid of ghosts, or anything that happens to look like a ghost." Meiling snickered, "In all my life, I have never heard anyone scream so much."

"Meanwhile," Tomoyo started, as she picked up the story, "Touya was taking a bath when he heard the scream. He instantly knew that it was Sakura, and without even pausing to grab _something _to cover himself, I mean, the room was filled with clothing and towels, it would not have wasted time to grab something, he leapt out of the bath, through the window and came pelting down the street, completely stark naked to rescue his beloved sister. By this time we had ended the spell and had calmed Sakura down, when in bursts Touya, looking ready to tear whatever had frightened his sister limb from limb with his bare teeth. She took one look at him and started laughing."

"And it took her _weeks_ to stop laughing every time she saw him."

Syaoran laughed with them, but then stopped, and turned slightly pale, "If this Touya is as bad as you say he is, how come I have not seen him? It sounds as though he should be hunting me down as we speak…"

"Oh, Touya is not living _here_," Meiling began. "He was communicating through a scrying bowl Sakura has set up in her bedroom."

"Hmm, I thought I saw someone else's face in that bowl when I got up that morning...but I just thought it was a trick of the light…or a lingering hallucination."

"Oh no, it was Touya alright." Tomoyo shook her head. "He positively flipped. And it did not help that _someone_," she gave Meiling a glare, in which Meiling just returned with an impish grin, "insinuated that you were recovering from a lot more than just an injury."

"Oh?" It took a second to click, "_Oh_…Ah-ha…I take it Sakura was mad."

"Livid is more like it, but I think Touya made things worse by saying that if she was going to take a suitor, then she should have introduced him to the family, to see if he was 'worthy'."

Meiling smirked, "Which is a load of cow dung, given that Touya will never actually approve of _anyone_. He was probably only saying that because Fujitaka, that is Sakura's father," she supplied, "was in the room. If he had _not_ been in the vicinity, I think there would have been a lot more swearing."

Meiling patted Syaoran on the arm, "But do not worry, Touya is very far away, and he does not have the magic that Sakura does, so he cannot transport himself from place to place." She paused in thought, "Hmm, I would probably give you a month or two before I would start to worry…given that he does not wear his horse out by riding here as fast as possible…"

"_What_?"

Tomoyo almost looked apologetic, "If Touya is as predictable as we _know_ him to be, he would have left to come here that afternoon, no matter _what_ anyone would have done or said to convince him otherwise." She gave him a sympathetic smile, as his face turned a shade just above that of the snow drifting through the chill air around them. "Do not worry, if you cannot handle him, we will back you up as much as possible,"

"Or at least stop him from spreading your remains too far, so at least your family can give you a proper burial," Meiling supplied with a smirk.

Now Syaoran's face really _did_ turn the colour of the snow.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, "Do not listen to her, you will be fine. Now, what else was it you needed of us?"

"Well ahh, I need to speak to Sakura." His face finally gained a bit of colour, but only in the cheeks, as he blushed, "I wanted to apologize about the other day…" He ducked his head to try and hide the rest of his face, which chose to glow a nice rosy pink. "I do not know what possessed me to do such a thing, but I know I seriously overstepped her boundaries and I want to at least _attempt_ to set things right…" He finally looked up, "Where did she go, anyway?"

Tomoyo looked around the almost deserted street and squinted through the steadily falling snow. "Well, we needed to pick up a few things for a spell we are performing tonight, but I did not see which store she went into."

"A spell? What for? Is there anything I can do to help? I do not want to intrude, and I am not nearly as strong as any of you ladies are, but I have traveled far and have learnt many different forms of magic. I will understand if I will just be in the way," Syaoran blushed slightly again. Tomoyo and Meiling exchanged glances, as they both interpreted the babbling and the blush as an 'I want to spend more time with Sakura but I want to do so in a way that hopefully won't look so damn obvious.' Tomoyo looked thoughtful, "Actually, we were considering including you in on the spell, anyway. Since Mia picked up on the premonition, it would probably be best that you learn more about it yourself, so that you may help her better, if she gets more premonitions later." She looked down into the snow covered street and smiled, "As for Sakura, she is over at the forge talking to Theo…we need some metal work for the spell…" She trailed off, as it seemed Syaoran had stopped paying any attention to her. Syaoran was staring at Sakura, barely visible through the snow even though she was wearing her usual dark maroon dress and green cloak, who was talking to Theo at the entrance to the forge. Syaoran went a little red around the ears, which had nothing to do with the cold or even any lingering embarrassment. And he had the oddest expression on his face, which got all the more fixed when Theo laughed and escorted Sakura into the heart of the forge. Meiling had to bite her lip to stop from laughing as Syaoran mumbled something that may have been an attempt at an excuse to go over to the forge, or just complete gibberish, but gave up and all but stomped off down the street.

"My, he is certainly the jealous type, isn't he?" Tomoyo said as she followed along behind him at a more reasonable walk.

"Well, come on," Meiling said as she jogged towards the warm, red light spilling out of the forge, her horse trotting amiably behind, "_this_ I do not want to miss…"

They left their horses in the stalls at the entrance next to Sparrow and shook off the piles of snow that had gathered on their clothing before strolling over to where the others were. They arrived just a few steps behind Syaoran. He had paused, seemingly to gather his nerves, or perhaps to think of something to say, but was beaten to the chase as Theo looked up from the piece of paper he was looking at and spotted him, "Syaoran!" He exclaimed jovially, "how nice to see you again!" He said, nodding his head over to a spot next to where Sakura was sitting. "Come, sit down. Lady Sakura has a task for me, but it will not take too long to do. I will be with you in no time at all." His welcoming smile wavered a bit as he was hit with the full brunt of Syaoran's glare.

"I do not need anything from you today. I just need to talk to Sakura." Syaoran said a slight too harshly.

Theo laughed a little nervously and gestured once again to the empty seat next to Sakura. It was just lucky that he did not actually look at Sakura, or more so the look she was giving him. The combination of both Sakura's and Syaoran's expressions would have made even the hardiest of people give it all up for a life as a hermit and seek a place that was as far removed from people as possible. "Well then, by all means come and take a seat. I will let you two talk as I do my work. Ladies!" He squeaked, as he finally spotted Meiling and Tomoyo, "How nice to see you two!" The wave of relief as they made their way over to him was almost palatable.

"Please, take a seat too, I will just go get started."

"Actually," Tomoyo said as she walked by the offered seats and came to face Theo, "If it is okay with you, we would like to watch. What we need is quite specific and I do not think we did the drawings quite well enough for you to do it right." Meiling smirked at Sakura, who looked like she was about to sprout horns, and said as she passed her, following Tomoyo. "We will just let you talk then, alright?"

Before Sakura could do or say anything, Meiling had wandered quickly out of earshot, with Theo hurrying behind to get to his work area.

Sakura and Syaoran sat in silence. Sakura had crossed her arms and legs and closed her eyes, a steady frown on her face that revealed her displeasure and making it clear to Syaoran that she didn't want to talk to him.

When it became so uncomfortable that he was actually starting to squirm, Syaoran cleared his throat to speak. "Sakura, _look_, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I…uhh…" His head dropped as he looked at his hands and tried to think of something to say that would not anger her more. "I am sorry. It is just…" He paused and bit his lip, wondering if continuing on would only succeed in getting his grave dug a little faster, and said, "You _intrigue_ me. I just wanted to get to know you better, but all I succeeded in doing was make an ass out of myself and push you away even more. I panicked, and I do not think with a clear head when I panic, and I did something incredibly stupid." He looked up, but she didn't give him any indication that she was listening at all. His voice took on a slightly pleading tone. "Please accept my apology and my vow that I will just slap you next time I need to get your attention." His lip twitched up in a little apologetic smile as he gazed at her hopefully. Sakura had not moved at all during his apology, but he noticed that her eyebrow at started to twitch again. He wasn't entirely sure whether his attempt at a bit of humor had worked in lightening the mood, or had just made things even worse, but he followed his instincts and plowed on. "How about this? Instead of actually speaking, just use your eyebrows. One twitch says that you still want to flay me alive and I had better start running, two means you actually accept my apology but you will give me a head start before you come after me anyway…"

This time Sakura's lip twitched and for a heartbeat he thought he had succeeded in at least getting a ghost of a smile to surface, but even before she had a chance to do anything, there was a hiss of steam as something red hot was dipped into water. "There ladies, all done!"

Sakura's eye opened a crack, and looked over to her friends and Theo, but not before fixing Syaoran with a Look.

It was one of those Looks that spoke volumes, unfortunately, none of which Syaoran had ever actually read. As far as he could tell, she may well still be unbelievably pissed with him and was just pondering whether to use a blunt knife or a sharp one in which to skin him. On the other hand, the Look could mean that, contrary to what his first impressions of her had shown him, she had actually forgiven him and was considering actually speaking to him again.

Before neither Sakura nor himself got to say anything more, Tomoyo, Meiling and Theo had returned, Tomoyo pocketing a number of coin sized metal discs into the pouch tied to her belt sash. "Well, is everyone ready to get going?" she said as she looked up.

Meiling, who had already walked over to the horses and was leading them out of the stall, called back, "I was ready to go back home when it started to snow half an hour ago…"

Tomoyo smiled and turned to Theo, "Thank you again, Theo. Oh, and say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Rickman for us."

Theo smiled jovially and bowed his head, "Anytime milady. Now, if you will excuse me, there are weapons to sharpen and chores to be done. Until next time, then?" He smiled once again as he said a quick goodbye to Sakura and Syaoran, both of which where at least polite enough to nod back in return, before taking his leave.

"Well, come on Sakura, Syaoran, we still have things to buy and have much ground to cover to get home and I for one do not want to be stuck out in this snow after dark." She swept away in a twirl of skirts and cloak and headed over to Meiling and the horses. She had already mounted and was nudging her horse forward by the time Sakura had finally stopped gaping and had gotten up and stomped over.

The look on her face could only be described as murderous.

**99**

The problem with being childish was that inevitably, the little immature things you do to make your point will come back to bite you squarely on the ass.

Sakura realized her predicament just after Tomoyo had spoken. Syaoran was coming with them, back to the cottage and Sakura, in her current, rather immature state of not talking, couldn't do a thing to stop it. Though she was still speaking to Tomoyo and Meiling, she couldn't really tell them they couldn't invite him. They were allowed to bring whomever they wanted into the cottage, regardless of how Sakura personally felt on the matter. She could convince Syaoran himself not to come, but then she would have to speak to him. Something she had decided, in her angry little mind, was how she was going to deal with him from now on…by essentially _not_ having to deal with him at all.

If she were lucky, maybe he would get bored with her and leave her alone.

But from what he said before, and with all the little inquiring looks he kept shooting her, she seriously doubted whether that plan was indeed going to work. Hell, she was even starting to feel the tiniest bit guilty for how she was treating him. One part of her actually wanted to accept his apology, and that little part was nagging incessantly at her, no matter how much she stamped down on the little inner voice, especially when Syaoran had made that little joke about her twitching eyebrows.

After retrieving his horse Wolf, and collecting the last of the things they needed in town, they had all headed off into the woods towards the cottage, where the trees at least kept most of the snow from falling on them. The ride was quiet, at least for Sakura and Syaoran. He seemed to want to talk some more, but kept losing heart every time he looked up to speak. It probably wasn't helping that Sakura had fixed her face into a completely blank look that said, at least to him, that 'I'm just going to ignore you anyway, so don't even bother.' After a while he just seemed to give up.

Soon enough the cottage came into view, and after taking care of their horses, everyone ventured inside, and into the warm relief of a fire warmed kitchen. Kero, curled up in a chair in front of the fire in his small form, floated up to greet them as they shrugged off their snow-damp cloaks. "It is about time you ladies got back, I was getting bored, and what the hell is he doing here?" He said, all in a one breathe.

"Be nice, Kero," Tomoyo admonished, as she hung her cloak in front of the fire, "He is here to help us with the spell."

"You never told me the spell required a sacrifice." Kero replied, paws on hips.

Syaoran glared at Kero, having recovered quickly from the mild surprise he had gotten when Meiling had quickly told him only moments ago, that the small stuffed animal like thing that Tomoyo called Kero, was indeed the same Kero as the large winged lion that he had encountered before, as Tomoyo spoke. "Very funny Kero, but _no_. We, that is, Meiling and I, believe it is for Mia's benefit that he is included in this. She is an innocent, and we are after all, obliged to help the innocent."

"Okay," Kero reasoned. "I get you on the Mia point, but I still don't think it's necessary for sword boy to be present."

"Hey! Sword boy has a _name_ you know," Syaoran growled to defend himself.

"And Sakura actually _agreed_ to this?" Kero said incredulously, ignoring Syaoran to look over at the glowering Sakura.

"Sakura is not the only one living in this house, and therefore does not make all the decisions," Meiling added in.

"And Sakura would like to point out, that although she is not by any means superior, she should _at least_ have a say on who or _what_ is brought into this house," Sakura said acidly.

"Well, maybe if Sakura had not been acting so childish before, she could have had her say on the matter," Meiling said, crossing her arms.

"_Sakura_ had reasons for the way she was acting."

"And _Hermand_ would like to know why everyone is speaking in the third person…" added Hermand, but was ignored by all.

"What? That she was reverting back to a five-year old?" Meiling retorted.

"I was not acting like a five year old!"

"Oh, _I beg to differ_. You were one step short of stamping a foot and throwing a tantrum right there in the street! Syaoran thinks you were acting childish, right Syaoran?"

Syaoran shot Meiling a dirty look as she dragged him into a conversation he would rather have stayed far, far away from. Sakura, however, cut him off before he had a chance to speak.

"Do not bring him in to defend yourself, Meiling," she bit out angrily, "This whole incident is all his fault."

"_My_ fault?" Syaoran looked as much hurt as he was angry. "I was _trying_ to apologize! You know, I think Meiling is right! You _are_ being childish. I know I did something wrong and I was a least good enough to acknowledge that and try to set things right. Any _mature_ adult would have at least tried to talk things out instead of clamming up like some spoiled little brat!"

"_Spoiled little brat_?" Sakura's voice had become shrill and louder at every word she spoke. "**_Spoiled little brat?!?_** **_Fine! You want me to speak? Well, I'll speak." _**She advanced on him as her tone became mocking,**_ "Firstly, I would like to accept your apology for disrespecting my personal space and doing something you had no right _whatsoever_ to do!"_**

**_"_****I know, _I know. What do I have to do to get it through your head that I am sincerely sorry for what I did? I do not know why you are making such a big deal out of this!"_**

**_"And it is your ignorance that offends me so! You barely know me and yet you think you can just go ahead and touch me in such a manner?!" _******

By this time they were red in the face and yelling at each other practically nose to nose. Meiling and Kero looked in shock. Neither of them could remember seeing Sakura act quite like this. Sure, she had her moments, but nothing to this extent.

No one had noticed Tomoyo. She had seemingly been ignoring everything since she walked in. But the look on her face showed that she had been indeed listening and was not finding any of it amusing at all.

There was the sound like a whip crack as one of her tattoo-like vines whipped out of sleeve. "ENOUGH!"

It was enough to stop everyone in their tracks and fall silent. Tomoyo was the last person anyone would expect to lose her temper.

She fixed Syaoran then Sakura with a tight-lipped, angry and above all disapproving look. "_Now you two listen to me and listen good. I do not care what one did to the other_." She held up a hand to stop Sakura when she opened her mouth to protest. "_All I care about is that both of you are acting worse than a pair of squabbling children. Frankly, I am very disappointed in the both of you. This spell needs to be done and it cannot be done while two highly magical people are at each other throats. Now, you two will go outside and you will not come back in until you have calmed down enough to at least _pretend_ to act your age. Do I make myself clear?"_

She could have said worse, but Tomoyo was hoping on the fact that the simple impact of being chewed out by _her_, of all people, would do more than words ever could._ ****_

Sakura gave her a defiant look, but when Tomoyo did not back down, she looked away, flushing with embarrassment and guilt and mumbled a "Yes, Tomoyo." Grabbing her cloak from the chair and something wrapped in an old brown cloth sitting by the fire, she strode over to the door and out into the front yard without saying another word.

After a tense moment of silence and a look from Tomoyo, Syaoran followed, closing the door probably a little harder than he had intended. It was only when the sounds of footsteps crunching through the snow faded into the distance that Tomoyo threw her hands up into the air. "Uugh!" She slumped into a chair as Meiling handed her a steaming mug of tea. "Well. In all the time I have known you, Tomoyo, I have always thought that if there ever was a time that you would actually lose your temper, I would like to witness it because I had always thought it would be amusing to watch you, of all people, tear strips into someone, as long as it was not me. Now I quite think I change my mind."

Tomoyo rubbed her temples. "I apologize then, if I ruined your dream. I love Sakura, I really do, but sometimes she can just be so infuriating." She took a sip of her tea and stared into the murky depths of her cup, looking almost sad.

Meiling noticed the look as she sat down on the seat opposite. "What are you thinking?"

"It is just-I still remember what she was like before…she was never like this, she is just so closed off now. Sometimes I feel like I barely know her at all."

Kero floated over and landed on her lap. "That is not true, on both accounts." He said as he wrapped his tufted tail around his forepaws. "She is not as innocently sweet as she used to be, but even back then there was a time or two when it looked like she was channeling her brother." He smiled wryly. "She just hid it well. As for not knowing her, there are not two people in the world that know more about Sakura than you two." His expression became very dry, as did his tone. "And I also have a shrewd suspicion that you did not just send those two outside alone to simply cool down…"

Tomoyo allowed herself to smile a little. Meiling gaped in shock. "What? Do you mean to say you _planned_ all that?"

Tomoyo took another sip of her tea. "I certainly did not plan to lose my head like that, I was merely going to make them go search for firewood or something. Just get them outside, alone together."

"How come you never told me?" Meiling squawked in indignation.

"Because I only thought about it when I saw Sakura sitting in Theo's' forge so determinedly not talking to Syaoran. I could not very well tell you my plan when she could have overheard it."

"So, does this plan involve a spell? Or are we just going to see if they can get along on their own?"

"Well, we shall just have to see…"

At Meiling's confused look, Tomoyo waved her hand towards the shelf containing an array of fortune telling items belonging to Meiling. A large crystal ball and its wooden stand floated over and landed on the little table situated between the chairs, next to where Hermand currently sat.

Meiling grinned as she leaned forward and waved a hand over the surface of the ball. As it started to turn misty white, she glanced up at Tomoyo and said, "You are a very shrewd woman, Tomoyo…no wonder we get along so well."

**99**** **

Syaoran bit back a snarl as he stumbled after Sakura through the calf deep snow, "_Sakura! Would you slow down? We need to talk!_"

She neither stopped nor looked inclined to say anything to him, and instead veered suddenly to the left and plowed on through even deeper snow without even giving him a backwards glance. Syaoran swore and growled deep in his throat. She was so infuriating! And yet, and yet what was infuriating him even more was the fact that he didn't just walk away, that he _wanted_ to keep following her and that it truly bothered him that she seemed resigned not to accept his apology.

He never tolerated being insulted or verbally abused before, '_So why am I still following her_?' He thought fiercely to himself.

But he knew the answer to that already.

Whether he actually liked it or not, and no matter how much he denied it and tried to convince himself otherwise, he was utterly and inexplicably attracted to her.

He had always scowled at all the ballads concerning love at first sight that the bards sung about, but bits of him seemed determined to disprove his own thoughts on the matter.

Realistically though, even if he did admit that he was truly falling for her, it was unrequited. She had made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with him. But for his sake, he wanted to at least _try_ and reconcile things and later, when he finally got her to talk to him like he _wasn't_ the worst scum on the earth, maybe, _maybe_ he might be able to get her to open up to him and develop something between them.

But for now, he just had to get her to talk to him at all. Even an insult would do, just _something._

"_SAKURA!__ WOULD YOU SLOW DOWN?! WHERE DID YOU GO? **SAKURA!**"_

"Arm yourself, swordsman." That was the only warning he got as he stepped past a tree and came face to face with the pointy end of a sword. Recovering quickly form his shock, Syaoran straightened up and gave first the blade, then Sakura's determined face a rather blasé look.

Swords, after-all, were something he could deal with.

"What are you waiting for?" She said, flicking the blade tip up, confusion creeping into her irritation.

"I was merely waiting to see if that scrap of tin-metal you call a sword was going to suddenly rust up because it was taken outside…" came his mild reply.

She sneered and flicked the blade around so that it was resting up against his neck. "I can take your head off if I so choose, so I would _suggest_ that the insults remain at a minimum."

Syaoran continued to watch her with a mild expression, "Sakura, you are a pain in the neck, and that is all that blade would have caused."

She looked somewhat stunned, "_Excuse me_?"

He pushed the sword blade away from his neck with a finger, his eyes looking up to fix her with a rather bored expression. "This strip of tin metal could not cut paper, let alone skin or bone." He pushed the blade aside completely with a tap of his hand and strolled off, looking unimpressed.

The low, dangerous growl was the only warning he got as a sword blade came whistling through the air to his left. Only pure instinct born of years of harsh training and traveling in hostile territory made him reach automatically for his sword jewel and spin as he activated his blade. But though he had been expecting her, he had not expected her to come up from below, or to change weapons, for she had abandoned her sword and had ducked to pull a dagger from her boot.

And now they were in something of a predicament.

They almost looked like they were embracing…if one ignored the blade he had to the back of her neck, and the dagger point she had to his chin. You see, as she had stood up, he had spun around intending to press the flat of his blade up against her throat, but due to her actions, she had ended up more or less in his arms…if one once again ignored the weapons…But before either of them had a chance to move, there was a flash of light, as Syaoran's sword decided it didn't much like being woken up and changed back into its jewel form. Syaoran stood there, the jewel dangling innocently from its chord, looking utterly baffled.

Sakura stepped back and flicked her dagger to catch it by the blade and tucked it carefully into her belt. "I take it from the expression on your face, that you were not intending that to happen…"

"Hmm," Syaoran said by way of an answer, "It does not appear to want to do you any harm...I cannot imagine why…" He finished dryly.

Sakura shot him a dirty look.

He shrugged and tucked the jewel into his pocket. "Not that I was actually _intending_ on hurting you…I was merely just going to prove a point."

"Good for you," She snapped, her voice getting testy again, "Now, if you have quite finished talking, I would like to get on with things." She crouched into a fighter's stance and raised her clenched fists.

Syaoran looked at her incredulously, "You still want to _fight_?!" By the way she advanced on him, a grim and somewhat sadistic smile on her face, he took it that she did, "I thought we were out here to calm down!"

"This is how I calm down."

"What, by killing someone?"

"Not exactly…but I am willing to see if it works. Care to volunteer?"

"Fine…" He said in a dark tone, obviously talking more to himself than actually responding to what she had said, his face gaining an odd expression. "If you are going to be like that…" Without any other warning, he crouched then leapt up into the branches of the tree above him, disappearing somewhere in the foliage with only a whisper of the snow being disturbed.

Sakura recovered quickly from her surprise at his lightning fast move and looked searchingly into the tree leaves to try and see where he was hiding, but neither sound nor any movement betrayed his position. Either he was very good at moving stealthily through trees, or he was in there somewhere, keeping still.

Well, only one way to find out. In much the same move he had used, she leapt up into the foliage, cursing silently to herself when she couldn't quite do it as gracefully or as unnoticeably as he had, then scrambled up onto a higher branch. It became clear a few minutes of searching later, that Syaoran was not still in the tree. Crouching at the base of a thick branch, the rough bark of the tree digging into her back, she gazed out between the snow covered branches to try and spot him amongst the trees further out, when she heard a 'hsst' to her immediate right.

She whipped her head around, but came face to face with only the icy leaves of the evergreen tree she was perched in…that and a short wooden staff. She blinked then looked up as a slight movement caught her eye, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. For just a moment she had seen the Spirit of the Woods, smiling cheerfully before ducking back out of sight. 'Just what are you up to Woody…' Sakura thought to herself as she picked up the staff and tested its weight.

Satisfied, she stood up carefully on the branch, and inched her way carefully along it, until she came to a point where it crossed with the branch of another tree. Changing trees, she crept along the new branch, and was two feet away from the trunk when there was a rustle from above and a chuckling voice said, "Found you…"

The force of his momentum as he dropped was too fast for him to stop himself; she wasn't even sure if he ever had intended to stop at all, as he bumped into her and caused her to fall backwards out of the tree. She tucked herself around her staff and fell in a tumble, the snow on the ground and the way that she landed and rolled taking all the brunt out of her landing. She flipped and landed on her feet, just as Syaoran came towards her with a double-handed swing with a staff that looked suspiciously like the one she brought up to defend herself.

She was forced to take the defensive as he attacked with a number of moves that she and her friends had been trying to emulate from Meiling's clan archive. Somehow the scratchy pictures in the book just didn't show enough of the grace needed to properly execute the moves. She watched him carefully, figuring she might as well learn how it was supposed to be done, as she quickly gained confidence, waiting for the right moment to attack. When she was sure she had his pattern worked out, not hard when all he was doing was executing, quite flawlessly and with speed and grace that made her heart ache briefly with envy, moves unique to the Li clan, she whipped her staff around with a bit more speed than he should have been expecting, a cry of triumph bubbling up from her throat…which quickly changed into a shriek as he suddenly changed his tactics and used a completely underhanded tactic to kick snow into her face, briefly blinding her. She stumbled back, wiping snow from her eyes, his smug chuckling only succeeding in infuriating her even more. 'So…he wants to be like _that_ then does he? Well…two can play at _that_ game…'

**99**

Syaoran watched her carefully as they fought, deliberately using moves exclusive to the Li clan as he knew she would expect him to fight using that style as well. Which was a fairly good assumption; considering that was the first style of fighting he had ever learned, back when he was still living with his birth mother and his sisters. But that was a long time ago, and he had traveled far, a result of which meant his style was now an unpredictable mix of dozens of techniques he had encountered on his travels. Many of which were admittedly a little underhanded, like the one he had used on her. But why bother with etiquette when your life was on the line? That's what he had found out the hard way, way back when.

Something else he had learned was that you often had to be cruel to be kind, and he was going to put _that_ particular lesson to good use, no matter how much it angered her. He grinned and smacked her exposed mid-drift as she wiped the last of the slush from her face.

"You, insolent little-"

"Never expose an unprotected area to an enemy, unless of course, you _want_ to die."

"What are you-" This time she managed to bite back on the squeak as he executed a move intending to kick her feet out from under her. She jumped, just in time, and flipped back, bringing her staff up just in time to block yet another of his attacks. Once again, she was forced to stay on the defensive. She mentally growled to herself as she realized just how damned _good_ he was, and it irked her when she figured he was probably holding back. And there was something else too…it was almost as though he was-

Sakura cursed as her staff was knocked out of her hands and went flying up into the air. Syaoran stepped back a few steps and caught it as it came back to earth. He smiled slightly and handed it back to her. "Good, but you need to work on your grip. You are clenching it too hard, it is better to have a looser grip." He grinned and added, "And try not to curse. It is very unladylike."

She glared at him, but adjusted her grip nonetheless as he told her and looked questioningly back at him. "Why are you training me?"

"Because you told me you fight, or as I interpreted, _train_ to calm down, as do I, but I cannot spar with someone who is not trained properly."

Her eyes narrowed once again in a glare. "I do not need your help," she sneered bitterly.

He grinned again and waggled a finger, ignoring the look that suggested she would very much like to bite the offending digit off, "Yes you do, but you just do not _want_ it."

"Same difference."

He chuckled, "Not quite." He became serious again, though there was still a hint of a grin around his mouth. He had always enjoyed teaching, the few times he had been asked to do it. Usually it was with young lads from the towns he had visited and stayed in for longer than a week. It earned him a little extra cash on the side, so that he could stay in inns instead of in hay-sheds or stables, and it kept him in shape. As he performed a few moves in succession, then repeated them so Sakura could pick up on the pattern, he found himself quite impressed with the speed in which she could pick up on a technique. She was a fast learner and he suspected the only reason she hadn't already learned it properly was because she hadn't actually seen it done properly before. Meiling was not born within the clan and so therefore wasn't made to learn to fight from the moment she could walk. He suspected that her parents had taught her a little, but not so much that it consumed her childhood days with nothing but training. But now all she had to look from, and therefore all that Sakura and Tomoyo subsequently had to go from, was the rather inaccurate drawings from the archives Meiling had.

Coming back to the present, he smirked a little and thwacked her smartly on her mid-drift when she once again left an obvious opening. "You are doing it again. Do not leave such obvious openings."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that, I cannot win a fight if attacking only means that I leave myself open for attack as well."

"Bend, sidestep, keep your eyes on the opponent as a whole and not just on the weapon they hold. Confuse and wear them down with attacks so fast and so unpredictable that they do not have a chance to do anything but to either defend or run. If you had been watching all of me and not just my sword, you would have seen how I had shifted my weight and dropped my shoulder, and you would have been able to anticipate and therefore avoid the attack."

"Well, excuse me, oh Master of the sword and fist, for not knowing _everything_." She stepped back and dropped her staff by her side, obviously wanting a brief time out to talk. "I have not had as much training as you have." By the look on her face, she wasn't entirely happy at admitting this to him out loud.

"And I am perfectly willing to teach you, if the offer appeals to you."

Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Why are you doing this, and why does my forgiveness mean so much to you? You pursue me like I am someone important to you, when I am but a stranger."

Syaoran's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment but he turned his head away slightly to look at the through the trees to hide it. "Morbid curiosity? I do not know, perhaps I just like a challenge."

"And am I a challenge?"

He looked back at her, the side of his mouth up in a small crooked grin, his eyes reflecting good humour. "Indefinitely so."

She tilted her head to the side, as though she was considering something then stepped back and into a crouch, bringing up her staff. "Well, in that case, shall we continue?"

He mirrored her stance, "We shall" and couldn't help but add with a grin, "Oh, and you can call me teacher, or Master, if you like, _rookie_."

Her eyes narrowed in a glare…

'**_THWACK!_**"

His voice took on a slightly strangled tone. "Okay…I suppose I deserved that…"

**99**

Meiling cringed in sympathy as she watched the scene play out in the depths of her crystal ball.

Sakura and Syaoran had, at some point, acquired a pair of short wooden staffs to practice with, although 'practice' seemed too mild a term for what, to Meiling's eyes at least, could easily be called 'excuse to cause grievous bodily harm.' Syaoran was merciless; any opportunity he found he took, and Meiling was sure Sakura would be black and blue by the end of it. But Sakura wasn't the only one who was going to come out of this covered in sores. She was fast, agile and a fast learner, and so gave it as best she had.

Hermand was watching all this from his position on the table. "Oh look," he said, as Syaoran landed a particularly painful looking swat when Sakura left an obvious opening, and Sakura retaliated by mimicking a move he had used on her and poking him sharply in the ribs with the end of her staff, "They're playing nice…"

"Tomoyo, you have got to come and watch this!" Meiling exclaimed gleefully, "They just will not give each other some slack. It is hilarious!"

"Well, if they think they can beat each other to within an inch of their lives all for the sake of 'training' and expect me to nurse them back to health so they can go out and do it all over again, they can just think again," she replied testily as she ground up ingredients using a mortar and pestle. "Why they would want to get all hot and sweaty is beyond me and do _not_ go there Meiling", she added, pointing the pestle threateningly at Meiling who had grinned rather wickedly and looked like she was going to add something, "you know what I meant."

Meiling snickered and turned her attention back to the globe. After a few seconds of silence broken only by the occasional quiet chuckle from Meiling and the soft grinding of herbs and seeds in Tomoyo's mortar, Meiling spoke up, her voice showing a hint of puzzlement. "Sakura almost looks like she is enjoying herself. I mean, I was expecting them to blow up at each other and be screaming loud enough to wake the dead. She was so angry before, yet look at them…" she grinned as Sakura and Syaoran went at each other with a vengeance, the wooden staffs almost vibrating with the brute strength that was being put behind the attacks, "It is all quite romantic really…"

Tomoyo rubbed a pinch of the powder-fine substance between her fingers to test to see if it was ground up enough as she answered, "She probably _is_ enjoying herself, even if she does not actually outwardly show it. I believe Syaoran has figured out that Sakura would rather not talk about what happened. I think she would now just prefer to pretend it never happened. It is obvious he likes her, and so to spend time with her without her putting her defenses up, he is approaching her on equal footing; starting off platonic then going from there."

"Hmm, good point. At least he seems to have realized that Sakura is extremely touchy on the subject of courtship and love." She smiled gently, "I think Syaoran will be good for her. I just hope she will open up to him. They just look like they belong with each other." She smiled a little wider, "Even if they are currently beating the stuffing out of each other…"

Tomoyo smiled as she picked up the mortar and came over to where Meiling was sitting.

"Now, if you could pry your eyes away from Ground Zero over there, I could use a little help."

"I thought we needed Sakura and Syaoran for this spell?" Meiling inquired as she shuffled over to the other side of the small square table, so that she and Tomoyo were sitting opposite each other, waving the crystal ball back to its place on the shelf.

"We do, for the actual spell later on, but a number of the ingredients needed require quite a bit of preparation. There are some rather delicate forces that must be gathered and I would appreciate it if I have your undivided attention. And we need your help too, Kero. You are going to be the apex of this little triangle."

"I always found spells are more fun when they include geometric shapes," Kero said with a wry grin as he floated over and sat, changing into his true form as he wiggled to get comfortable. Tomoyo placed a smooth coloured stone at each corner of the table; red swirled together with gold to represent fire, blue streaked with green to represent water, clear veined with smoky gray to represent wind and finally a dark and light brown speckled stone to represent earth, forming a square with Hermand in the centre. She started to pour the powder-fine ingredients from her bowl into a line from stone to stone. Hermand's eye sockets watched her with apprehension. "Are you sure this is going to work and not do something cataclysmically horrible?" He had seen them use the coloured stones a number of times before, it was whatever Tomoyo had been grinding up all afternoon that made him nervous. She generally just used herbs and seeds in her brews, but he distinctly remembered hearing things that crunched a little too much to be something that grew on any tree. He couldn't smell very well anymore, his sense of smell having almost completely gone when his flesh nose had, but he could certainly smell something odd from the powder.

"Shhh, Hermand, we cannot have any interruptions…"

"You didn't answer my question…"

Ignoring Hermand, she said, "Now, join hands…does everyone remember 'Sakura's Rite'?" Meiling and Kero grinned at the nickname they had given a ritual they had found in Meiling's archives. It allowed someone to gather a number of earthly elements to be used to as a power base for a wide range of spells. They called it 'Sakura's Rite' because it drew power from a number of the various Clow spirit elements that she was soul-bound to. At their affirmation, Tomoyo continued, "Good. Let us begin. By the time those too tire themselves out-_Do not say a word Meiling_-and return, we should have gathered enough energy to do the actual spell on Hermand."

Hermand grunted, but refrained form saying anything else as the three people surrounding him closed their eyes and visibly relaxed. As one they spoke in a monotone, "_Spirits of the Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth, of the darkness that veils and of the light that shines through_…" One after the other, each stone started to glow their respective colours, flickered to a crystal white, then to a blackness that looked almost unfathomable, then back to their own colours of the elements. As one and without having to open their eyes, each raised a hand; or in Kero's case a paw, and placed a fingertip onto Hermand, to indicate that he was where the gathering energy was to channel. As they did this, the powder connecting the stones started to smoke an odd, dark red-purple sort of colour, smelling slightly of burnt wood. "_Gather afore us and into the vessel we touch. Be the base to which-_" They froze as they each felt the tremor, a ripple almost like that which is caused when a stone is dropped into water, except with the ripples going the other way, something that Meiling had described she felt whenever she had a strong premonition, but due to the connection created by the rite, was felt by all. Tomoyo shrieked and fell back, as Kero hissed and jerked his paw away from Hermand as though burned. But Meiling didn't seem to be able to move, let alone take her hand away. Her eyes were wide and glowed blue, as were Hermand's eye sockets. Tomoyo and Kero both watched in shock and fear as the red-purple smoke solidified then flashed and seemed to get sucked into the coloured stones. There was another tremble; this time the ripples going away from Meiling, the stones flashed once then lost their glow completely.

Meiling took a wheezing breath in and slumped forward onto the table, the blue in her eyes and in Hermand's sockets fading out.

She groaned and sat up rubbing her head. Tomoyo crawled over, her eyes wide and fearful. "Meiling! Are you okay? What happened?"

Meiling winced and rubbed her temple. "I had a premonition…well, _started_ to have one, anyway…lousy timing too, might I add…"

"What do you mean by _started_?" Kero queried, his tone doing little to betray his unease.

"I started to get it, I felt the tremor that I always feel moments before I get a strong premonition, but it sort of…" She trailed off, trying to think of the right way to put it.

"I think it was diverted," finished Hermand, his rough voice cutting through the silence.

Tomoyo gasped, her shaking hand flying to her mouth, her eyes as wide and as fearful as both Kero and Meiling's. "Oh god, _Sakura_…"

The crystal ball shot over as though it had been fired from a cannon as all three of them summoned it to the table. Sakura did have premonitions, but she only ever had them in her sleep, never while she was awake, and she never got them with the intensity that Meiling sometimes had them when connected with Hermand. The premonition would have flowed through Hermand and into Meiling, and due to the rite, through the elemental spirits and finally, into Sakura, coupled with whatever the powder would throw into the mix.

All they could do was watch in fear as the mist cleared and the crystal ball showed them what they were powerless to stop.

**99**

Syaoran smiled inwardly as Sakura attacked with determination despite how obviously she was tiring. Hell, he was tired too but quite frankly, he was enjoying himself too much to take too much notice. She wasn't quite as fast or as refined as he was, but it was quite amazing how quickly she picked up on things. But he could tell she was coming to the end of her endurance, and he was about to call it a night when she jerked, looking all the world like she had been hit in the back with some sort of invisible brute force, her eyes widening in shock, a strangled shriek escaping from her lips. He let his staff fall to the ground as she dropped hers and dropped to her knees, clutching her head, making a high pitched, wheezing noise in the back of her throat. "Sakura? _Sakura, what's wrong_?" He said, his voice urgent and fearful as he dropped to his knees in front of her, trying to pull away the hands she had clenched to her face. "_SAKURA!_"

He managed to firmly but gently pry her hands away from her face, and almost let go again when he saw her face. Her eyes were wide and so full of fear that her pupils had shrunk to such a small size that they were almost too small to see. And they were no longer green, they had turned a bright, glowing blue. She scrambled back making him lose his grip on her wrists, letting out a strangled cry as she clutched at her head. Before he could stop her, she had surged to her feet and bolted, tears streaming down her face.

Syaoran jumped to his feet so fast that he stumbled as he was thrown off balance, and ran after her as she sprinted through the trees. "**_SAKURA!_****_ SAKURA, STOP!_**"

But it was too late, as she disappeared deeper into the forest, with only her deep tracks in the snow and her racking sobs left for him to follow.

**99**

The images burned into her mind, so vivid and so real that she felt like she was there herself and doing the terrible things that she was witnessing. She vaguely realized that she had run off from Syaoran and was now stumbling blindly through the grey/white trees of the forest. But she could barely see where she was going, as images kept flashing in her mind, images that showed her she was witnessing something that was happening in town, in the forge. But it was strange, not completely clear, almost as though what she was seeing was an echo, or somehow second-hand. She could see the stall at the front, the tools on the bench, she could feel an echo of the heat from the fires touch her skin. And the noise…she could partially hear what was happening immediately around her; her feet crunching through the snow, Syaoran's voice as he called for her, but she could also hear something else, something that she was sure wasn't coming from the forge either. It was a constant, unwavering tone, but though at times it seemed like the most beautiful thing she had ever heard, at other times it seemed to grate down her nerves, almost like fingernails down a chalk-board. She realized with a start, through the confusion and the headache the sound was causing her, that she was witnessing all this through the eyes of something else. And she knew that whatever was happening, was happening _now_. It was then that whatever she had unwittingly possessed raised its' hands. She watching in horror and revulsion as clawed, rotting hands that she had to keep telling herself weren't hers reached out and towards a man standing at the back of the forge, his back facing them. She watched with growing horror as the man spun around and opened his mouth to scream, but all Sakura could hear was that beautiful and terrible sound in her ears, as she-no_ it, _advanced on him. She felt an echo of a feeling of a deep, gnawing hunger and glee that made her feel dirty and tainted, and sick to her stomach.

Sakura's foot caught on a root buried in the snow and she stumbled, but did not fall as she choked out in a voice that was strained and scratchy. "_Oh God, Theo, no…**NOOO!!**_" Her strangled scream tore through the eerie silence of the forest as she watched on helpless as the claws tore at his chest.

For she could recognize him, though his face was twisted in terror and absolute pain. The echo of sick pleasure the thing was feeling as it did this sent her mind into a kind of numb shock as she tried to cry out in a voice that was already too strained to make more than a squeak. She dimly felt herself fall to the snow as the connection faded, and she was left with the memory of what she had witnessed burned vividly into her mind. She was unaware of how long she was laying there, panting, her body starting to go numb from the cold, but the sound of rapid footsteps crunching through the snow seemed to bring her slowly back into awareness.

'Syaoran.' The name drifted into her conscious as she felt a wash of relief sweep over her.

She never thought she would be so happy to see the man.

"Syaoran…God Syaoran, it was horrible." Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper, but the footsteps continued to come in her direction, and with more urgency. She tried to open her eyes and saw his blurred shape come towards her, but when he was a few metres away, he skidded to a stop, and she heard him gasp and say in a voice filled with confusion and surprise. "S-_Sakura?_" It was a voice that was too deep to be Syaoran's

As her vision cleared, she saw the real Syaoran stumble through the trees behind the man that, despite all the years that had passed, was unmistakably recognizable.

"_Blaine__?_"

**99**

_Booyah__… ) I'm mean aren't I? I put out a nice long chapter, weird crap happens and then I go leave it at a cliffy…nasty nasty nasty…_

_I'm going to get started on the next chapter as soon as I load this chappie up, but knowing me, I'll write a few pages, get stuck, leave it for a week, get stuck some more, then not get it done for a couple of months. Not matter, I will finish this story eventually. _

_Please read and review, I like the support and any feedback will be muchly appreciated. (No flames though, if you must criticize, please do so constructively, no 'this sucks, just cause') _

_Anywho__, thanks once again for Bunni, my editor-in-chief and I shall see you all in the next chapter. -_

_Ciao!! _

_StarDragon___


	10. Vendetta

**Blessed Be**

_Not going to say much here, except that this is self edited edition (many apologies for any and all spelling and grammatical errors…) and many many apologies for taking so damn long to get this up. I have been extremely busy (I haven't slept much lately either…so I mildly resemble a depressed panda at the moment…what with the black rings around the eyes and the no-sleep-lower-eyelid-baggies. But, as a friend often says, you can sleep when you're dead…) Many thanks to all those who reviewed, I appreciate the support and again with the large amounts of apologies for the lateness._

_Well, let's be on with things then… _

**Chapter 10: Vendetta **

1010

_For she could recognize him, though his face was twisted in terror and absolute pain. The echo of sick pleasure the thing was feeling as it did this sent her mind into a kind of numb shock as she tried to cry out in a voice that was already too strained to make more than a squeak. She dimly felt herself fall to the snow as the connection faded, and she was left with the memory of what she had witnessed burned vividly into her mind. She was unaware of how long she was laying there, panting, her body starting to go numb from the cold, but the sound of rapid footsteps crunching through the snow seemed to bring her slowly back into awareness._

'_Syaoran.' The name drifted into her conscious as she felt a wash of relief sweep over her._

_She never thought she would be so happy to see the man._

"_Syaoran…God Syaoran, it was horrible." Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper, but the footsteps continued to come in her direction, and with more urgency. She tried to open her eyes and saw his blurred shape come towards her, but when he was a few metres away, he skidded to a stop, and she heard him gasp and say in a voice filled with confusion and surprise. "S-Sakura?" It was a voice that was too deep to be Syaoran's_

_As her vision cleared, she saw the real Syaoran stumble through the trees behind the man that, despite all the years that had passed, was unmistakably recognizable._

"_Blaine?"_

10101010

Syaoran watched in numb shock while Sakura and the man, Blaine, stared at each other in disbelief. Not a word was spoken, the only sound being that of the cold wind whistling gently through the trees. As the two stared at each other, whatever remained of Sakura's strength seemed to wane and she collapsed to the snow, a small weak groan escaping her lips. Syaoran went from numb shock to burning panic.

'Oh God, she's sick. What should I do? I need to carry her back to her home, but if she wakes up when I'm carrying her, she is going to rip my head off, stuff straw down my throat and use me as a scarecrow!'

Then the more rational part of his brain kicked in.

'But she's out cold! She's not going to wake up…she's just going to _die _of pneumonia then come back to haunt you for the rest of your miserable life!'

…well, 'rational' may be too strong a word…

'Stop being such an idiot Syaoran, and _help her_'

This happened in a very short amount of time, and Syaoran was just coming out of his reverie when he saw the other man move. 'Bugger _that'_' said the more jealousy inclined part of his brain. The other man was closer but Syaoran got there faster. He knelt down next to Sakura and gently wiped some the sweat soaked strands of hair stuck to her face. Her skin was warm to the touch. Not fever warm, just…warm, as though she hadn't actually been lying in snow, in a forest were the temperature was well below 0. And there was something appearing on her cheek; a long, red, scar like line, that couldn't have been caused from simply falling to the ground. Figuring he would ponder that at a more appropriate, Syaoran stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle that echoed throughout the quiet forest. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work, but he had an inkling that Wolf would hear it one way or another. Syaoran glanced at the man as he gently picked up Sakura from the snow. A storm of emotions was fighting for supremacy on the man's gaunt face. He looked physically sick, or as though he had just recovered from a long illness. His skin looked pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes, as though the man hadn't had not had a good nights sleep for a very long time. Physically he was thin, a little too thin, his clothes hung off him as though too big, but Syaoran had a suspicion that the clothes fit him just fine a long time ago. Ignoring the man, Syaoran headed in the direction that he could hear hoof-beats galloping through the snow, and left the man to his own devises.

"Wait. Where are you taking her?"

Syaoran adjusted his grip, holding Sakura a little closer than before and turned his head to glare at Blaine. "Blaine, is it?" At a nod, Syaoran continued. "I'm taking her somewhere safe."

"But the town is back that way. She needs a healer."

Syaoran's patience for the man was quickly vanishing. "And I am taking her to the best healer around, now _if_ you will excuse me." Syaoran took barely a step when he felt a hand grasp him on the shoulder. "Wait!"

As Syaoran spun around to tell the man in not too friendly words the whereabouts of the nearest cliff from which he could leap, there was a crash behind him, an inhuman sounding shriek of surprise and what sounded like Tomoyo's very angry voice hissing 'Blaine!'. Blaine's pupils shrank with fear as he fell backwards into the snow and tried to scramble away from the newest arrivals. Syaoran turned to face them and almost dropped Sakura out of shock.

10101010

Meiling was halfway through a flying leap out the door when she transformed into a giant black horse and so landed in the thick snow on all fours instead of two. She pranced on the spot, steam licking her gleaming black coat as Tomoyo came racing out; her hair twisting wildly around itself until it formed a tight bun at the back of her head, and vaulted herself up onto Meiling's broad back. Keroberos, already in his true form and standing impatiently at the edge of the forest surrounding the house snarled a 'hurry up' and leapt on ahead. The trees were too close together, so he had no choice but to run. They ran on in silence broken only by the deep panting of Keroberos and Meiling. The green vine-tattoos on Tomoyo's arms writhed while she worried as she clutched her healers bag. They heard a shrill whistle echo through the trees and a few minutes later they heard the unmistakable sound of a horse breaking through the barn door. The small bit of Tomoyo's mind not worrying about Sakura thought mildly that though it was a good thing Meiling had taught Wolf the 'come to me' command, she really should have taught Wolf the 'stamp on this here lever and the barn doors will open for you' command, too.

Tomoyo didn't know she was holding her breath until she spied Syaoran through the trees, coming towards them, and carrying an unconscious Sakura in his arms. She let out a deep sigh. She almost choked on it when she saw the other man, who reached out and grabbed Syaoran by the shoulders. "_Blaine._" She felt a swell of happiness when she saw the look of fear Blaine flashed in her direction. '_Good, he should be scared_'…' Meiling leapt past a shocked and confused looking Syaoran and landed next to Blaine, barely missing landing on his legs with her massive black hooves by centimeters. Blaine whimpered and backed up into a tree. It was at this point that Keroberos appeared, all his sharp teeth bared in a snarl as he landed next to Meiling. Blaine, his face even paler than it had been before, looked up at Tomoyo, the only vaguely human being that was surrounding him. He probably shouldn't have. At least a horse can't pull its facial muscles into a glare that hate-filled. "_I do not know why you are here Blaine, but know that you are not welcome. Leave._" Tomoyo's outburst earlier that day had nothing on this one. She positively emitted hatred. Blaine, in his panic and fear tried to speak, "But-I need-talk-_Sakura_" There was a note of desperation in his voice but this did little to tug at Tomoyo's heartstrings. Keroberos answered instead, his words barely audible amongst the growling. "_You heard her, you pathetic leach. LEAVE!_"

He didn't need any more encouragement than that and took off at a sprint. Tomoyo didn't bother to watch him leave; he was making enough noise as it was; if she wanted to follow him she could have done so with her eyes closed. Instead she hopped off as Meiling and KeroBeros turned to Syaoran. He looked almost as shocked and scared as Blaine had been. "Syaoran, you do not have to be scared. It is just us." He seemed mildly incapable of speech, so Tomoyo sighed and went to inspect Sakura. "Sorry if we frightened you. We were just worried for Sakura and wanted to get here as soon as possible, then we saw…_him_ and well…let us just say that _he_ is not very popular in our group." Syaoran's mouth, which had been gaping open like a fish out of water, snapped shut, though his eyes still showed the same shock as before. He was looking down at Sakura almost as though he hadn't quite seen her before. Pushing the thought into the back of her mind Tomoyo checked Sakura's vitals then checked her magical aura and was relieved, so to speak, that she was suffering nothing more than a magical drain. Not to say that that was a good thing, but it could have been worse, much worse. She would take a while to restore her magic, even with the help of her spirits, but she wouldn't have any lasting effects to worry about. At least, that's what Tomoyo hoped. Things were always a bit more complicated with magic.

"Is she going to be alright?" Tomoyo nodded and patted Keroberos on the head. "She needs rest, but from what I can see at the moment, she will be fine as soon as she regains her magic. She has been drained."

Meiling frowned, or at least _tried_ to, given that she was still a horse. "She's _drained_? But how is that possible, you know what Sakura's magic is like…"

"I _know_ Meiling, but I am just glad that it isn't something even worse. We need to get home. She needs bed rest. Syaoran…_Syaoran_" His head snapped up at the second call of his name. "Give us Sakura, we will take her back home." She didn't want to put the burden onto him, especially since he didn't know the whole story, but some things needed to be taken care of. "I need you to do us a favour." Syaoran, who seemed reluctant to let go of Sakura when Meiling came over, finally answered. "A favour?"

'The poor man' Tomoyo thought 'he is still in shock…'

She nodded as Keroberos picked up her train of thought. "We need you to keep an eye on that man, Blaine." The name was spat out with a bitter growl. "See where he is staying and watch him. He is not exactly dangerous, but I would not trust him for a second." Keroberos gave Syaoran a grim smile. "Do this for us and you never know, I might actually start thinking about trusting you." His expression went grim again. "But do not get your hopes up…"

Syaoran just nodded by way of answer as he gently helped Tomoyo put Sakura onto Meilings back. He gave Tomoyo a leg up then stood back. Tomoyo, Keroberos and Meiling exchanged glances then looked off to their right, almost as if someone else was there. They seemed to be having a silent discussion. Tomoyo nodded then turned to Syaoran. "We grant you passage to our cottage, Syaoran. From now on you do not have to be lead to our home. The forest will let you in." Syaoran, understandably, just looked confused. "We will explain everything later. Right now we need to get Sakura home. Sakura has some rather remarkable friends behind her. They say they have looked into your heart and have found a pure and trusting soul. We will send word soon." Tomoyo bowed her head and tightened her grip around Sakura's waist to keep her steady. "Until then, Syaoran."

As Meiling took off into the direction of the cottage, breaking into a canter once she had enough room, KeroBeros loping behind, Syaoran spotted Wolf coming in his direction. She skidded to a stop in the snow and nudged Syaoran on the shoulder when he didn't acknowledge her presence. Syaoran patted his horse on the nose. "Good girl, Wolf…" He watched the retreating group as they disappeared into the snow and fog. Shaking his head, he hauled himself up onto Wolf's bare back. Using his knees to steer, since Wolf didn't have a bridle or even a halter on, he guided her in the direction that Blaine went. As one part of his mind concentrated on tracking the man through the snow, the other was a whirlwind of thoughts. One thing, however, through the confusion and the shock, was central.

'_It was her. She was the girl from Imar!_'

It had been over four years since that day. He hadn't really thought about it up until now, but he could still remember most of it quite clearly. She had changed a lot, in appearance, that's why he thought she seemed familiar, but couldn't quite place her face. But now he remembered. He had ridden into town that day, intending to stay for a night to wait out the storm, but when he had arrived, he rode into a crowd gathered in the town square. Syaoran knew from experience not to interfere with other towns business. Usually, it could bring more trouble than it prevented, but something about this time was different. When the girl was brought in, bound by iron shackles and chains, being lead quite roughly behind a horse, Syaoran felt a great swell of fear and panic. He couldn't explain the emotion at first, but every fibre of his being knew that what was being done to this girl was wrong. She was innocent. And other people in the crowd seemed to voice his thoughts.

"This is wrong, that girl has never harmed anyone."

"I have heard rumours about her…but she has lived here all her life, and nothing bad has happened. If she really _was_ a witch, you would expect bad things to happen…"

Syaoran remembered hearing more, many more people were scared, willing to believe what the Duke of the town believed so fiercely. Syaoran couldn't help but pity them a little. People always feared what they didn't fully understand, and some where happier to let others think for them rather than think for themselves. But from other things that he had heard that day, they had a very real reason to be afraid. This Duke was ruthless. And not just to those who actually practiced the magic he so despised. If you associate yourself willingly with children of magic, then you were as bad as they were and deserved punishment, or so this Duke believed. And what made things so much the worse was that this man did not just hate magic in all it's forms, he was _obsessed_ with that hatred. A man like that was unbelievably dangerous, because a man like that would stop at _nothing_ to sate his obsession. Another reason Syaoran didn't, at first, want to get involved. For his sake, the quicker he could rest and recuperate, the quicker he could leave without raising alarm. Although he was very careful with his magic, Syaoran was sure without a doubt that the man would have some way of detecting magic, maybe even resorting to magical means himself to do so. Afterall, was it not said that you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer? The man probably had a wizard or something in his entourage for just such a use.

As he watched the girl being led, the feeling of _wrongness_ just seemed to increase. Syaoran allowed himself a little satisfied smile when the girl, Sakura, spat defiantly into the Duke's face, but sobered quickly when the Duke raised his arm to strike her, but stopped, his gaze fixated on the little pendant now free from her clothes. Syaoran didn't recognize it for what it was. He watched as the Duke yanked at the cord holding the pendant and caught it in a leather pouch before tying it to his belt. As the guardsmen pulled a now completely unresisting Sakura over to the stake, Syaoran began to move to a position that he could work unhindered. But it was as he was scaling a wall to reach a balcony that he was hit with a shock akin to being enthusiastically smacked on the back of the head with a large wooden board. It was his magical sense, not his physical, from where the shock came. He could feel it, part of it so in tune with his style of magic that it was like a duet between a man and a women, both so different yet together in harmony; the rest… The rest almost sent him plummeting the two stories to the hard packed earth.

He could feel the release of something, several something's in fact, and then a sense of _rightness_, and then a power unlike anything he had experienced in his life. He wasn't entirely sure anyone existed up until this point in time ever had this much power, or this _connection_ to a source as powerful as the one he could feel. She was connected somehow, something like a conduit and the prime controller, with the ancient and powerful magics of the earth itself. It was mind boggling that her mortal body didn't just burn itself up now, without the aid of the logs being stacked up against her. But he could feel her weakening, the magic seemed to be draining out of the cufflinks on her wrists and ankles. Syaoran had a sneaking suspicion what _that_ was about too. He was allergic to the stuff too, made him break out in bright purple welts and played havoc with his magical control if he was within 3 feet of the stuff. As for her connection with the earth magic's, it felt weak itself, and like something new and unfamiliar. It wouldn't take her too long to get familiar with it, because it felt so much apart of her and her style of magic, but new, none the less.

As Syaoran scrambled up the rest of the wall and vaulted himself onto the roof, almost falling off when his boots slipped on the smooth tiles, he felt her strength weaken even more. He sprawled out on his stomach and pulled out his jewel ball, and quickly transformed it to the sword as he watched the first log catch fire, the thick smoke making it hard for him to actually see her. He sighted along his sword, aiming for the stake she was bound to with an accuracy borne of years or hard practice and used his left hand to perform a spell of summoning using a form of sign language. It required a fair amount of concentration, and it was at the crucial stage when the power was gathering around his blade that a devil's shriek tore through the relative silence. This shattered his concentration so much that he completely lost the spell and the power gathered in his sword, flinging it blindly in reflex back into the gathering storm clouds. Which was lucky. If he only lost control over the spell, and had _not_ on reflex flung the gathering power away, well, the result would have been a steaming crater and a bubbling mass of indistinguishable matter. He probably should have been more concerned about this, but was far too preoccupied by the newest arrivals.

The demon horse and its inhuman rider.

That was the first impression he got before his mind kicked in and told him the horse was a _kathevriss, _a change-child. Someone with the ability to change their form at will as easy as it was to change clothes. But that race had supposedly died out centuries ago. This was apparently not so. Few people still knew about them, even less was actually written down. He even suspected that she mightn't even know of what she actually was. As for the inhuman girl on the _kathevriss'_ back, he knew what she was without a second thought. Nymph's, even half-nymph's such as herself, were fairly common. The _kathevriss _horse kicked at the burning logs and knocked them away as the half nymph called forth vines and sent them towards the oncoming guards. They were good, but in reality, there were only two of them versus an ever increasing number of guards. Syaoran quickly pointed his sword to the clouds and once again used his free hand to finger sign another spell, this one to summon rain. It probably would be something of a hindrance to the two beings trying to protect the girl, but it would also be a hindrance to the guards as well. As the pouring rain came down, Syaoran quickly sheathed his sword to free both his hands, and started to finger sign other spells. This method of magic was utterly silent, perfect for situations like this one where noisy spell casting would have brought unnecessary attention to the user. It was one of the first types of magic he was ever taught. Unfortunately, it wasn't particularly strong, unless used in conjunction with some other magic, such as his sword. It was also fast.

He mainly concentrated on the guards, tripping them up and spinning them around, but though he was performing spells using both hands, and no matter how quickly he could perform them, the simple matter was there where just too many of them, and then Syaoran saw out of the corner of his eye that the Duke himself was making a move unhindered by anyone. And though the _kathevriss_ and rider had fought valiantly, and though Syaoran had been doing all he could have done in the situation to aide them, they had been captured. Syaoran saw the Duke walk all too calmly towards the girl, sword dragging in the mud. The duke's face twisted into a demonic mask as he snarled something at the girl. Frightened green eyes followed the sword as the Duke raised it.

For Syaoran, the world narrowed to that moment, and to two people alone: the witch-girl and the Duke.

There was a kind of ringing in Syaoran's ears, of rage, and something entirely unfamiliar to Syaoran. But the one thing that was as clear as crystal was that this was _wrong_, this _had _to stop, and the girl _must _live. He did not know her, he did not owe her or her town anything, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if he allowed her to be killed, it would be the single most _stupid_ thing he had ever done in his life. Syaoran withdrew his sword once again and resumed finger signing the lightning spell he had been attempting before. But this time he aimed his sword at the man. He finished the spell and felt the bolt of lightning leave his blade a split second before the Duke swung his sword down. Syaoran, blinded by the flash and deafened by the crack of thunder that accompanied the strike, could only clench his eyes shut, and pray the first bolt hit home, as he prepared a second strike. When the spots in his eyes cleared, he saw the Duke sprawled in the mud, a blackened lump all that was left of the sword. The girl, white with fear could do nothing but stare. Syaoran paused enough to note that the sword had taken the brunt of the spell, not the man, though he had been _aiming_ for the man. Which meant that the sword was anti-magic, designed to either redirect the attack, or absorb it. It absorbed it, or tried to. The lightning was only _directed_ by magic, not created by magic. In absorbing the controller spell, it actually pulled the lightning towards itself. The result of which was now smoldering slightly.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, least the Duke wake up, Syaoran called down another bolt of lightning and aimed it this time for the chains bound to the stake. He released the lightning, this time remembering to clench his eyes shut and block his ears as the bolt hit home, and then Syaoran was sent tumbling towards the other edge of the roof as _something_ hit him with the force of a runaway carriage. Dazed, his whole body one big bruise, he tried to sit up and had to steady himself with a hand to stop from fainting. Something was wrong. His sense of magic, something that had been honed over the years, was _gone_. No…not entirely, it was still there, just severally diminished. Syaoran idly vowed to find who or whatever came up with Eloran iron and to happily and enthusiastically make their remaining life as painful and uncomfortable as was inhumanly possible. Apparently, striking it with magic, even at a distance, carried nasty side affects. Syaoran crawled back to the other side of the roof in time to see the girl sprint for the relative safety of the woods. He waited until she had disappeared into the tree line before his turned his attention to the _kathevriss_ and the half-nymph. They had managed to rid themselves of the ropes and had just gotten back onto their feet. In the confusion following the two lightning strikes, no one was really paying any attention to the non-humans. Just as well; Syaoran was still dazed, he felt what would be the worst headache he was ever to experience start to make itself known and he wasn't sure how his magic had been affected by the backlash from the Eloran iron. He stayed on the roof long enough to see the _kathevriss_ and half-nymph make their escape before attempting one of his own. The rain and his dazed conditions made things somewhat difficult and he had bruises on his bruises by the time his feet hit the muddy ground. His legs where threatening to give out on him by the time he reached Wolf, who was waiting patiently under a shelter in the ally he had left her. Considering he never had a chance to go to an inn and unpack, Syaoran was well out of town in no time at all and would probably be completely out of the province by night time, despite the onslaught of rain.

Wolf whickered and brought Syaoran out of the memory and back into the present. That was at the beginning of his journey, over 4 years ago. He had wondered for months afterwards what had eventually happened to the girl, the _kathevriss_ and the half-nymph, but then he had found one of his sisters and the thoughts had been driven from his mind. Eventually he had forgotten about the incident completely, up until now. He had learned to live with his deadened sense of magic, in the process of doing so learned a great deal of other forms of magic. He would never be able to sense magic as clearly or as precisely as he used to, but he could get around it, and he even had a few artifacts that could do the job fairly effectively for him.

So, his past was determined to catch up with him. Why though? Was he going to be thanked or punished for helping? He didn't have much time to contemplate that as he spotted the man, Blaine. He wasn't really sure what connection _he_ had with all this. But he obviously knew Sakura and had seen the _kathevriss_, Meiling and the half-nymph, Tomoyo, before. Syaoran never actually did find out why Sakura was to be burned that day, and why the Duke seemed to have such a personal vendetta concerning her. Perhaps this would be the time he would finally find out.

The man broke through the edge of the forest and stumbled over to a horse tethered to a stubby bush by the main road. Syaoran wondered idly why he had left the horse there and had not ridden into the forest in the first place, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he rode up quietly. Blaine collapsed against the horse, hugging its neck for support. The horse whickered and lipped the man's sleeve, before looking up and snorting as Syaoran approached. Blaine jumped and turned his head to stare at Syaoran, pupils contracted with fear. Syaoran gently kneed Wolf to a stop and gave the man a considering look. "I am not going to hurt you." 'Yet' he thought to himself. "My name is Syaoran. What is your association with Lady Sakura?" Blunt and to the point. Isaac and Eriol would be going into raptures about the connotations of _that_.

"Lady Sakura?" Some of the fear ebbed from his eyes, to be replaced with a great sadness. "The Lady Sakura, she," He looked up at Syaoran, who almost had to look away from the pain and despair etched clearly on the man's starved face. "She is-_was_," flinching as he quickly corrected himself, "my fiancé…"

If Syaoran had been drinking something he probably would have snorted it up his nose at the same time as spraying it on everyone and everything in the near vicinity. Luckily though, Syaoran hadn't been drinking, and instead sat like a sack of potatoes on Wolf's back with a dumbfounded expression on his face, which he quickly tried to hide.

Not quick enough though. Blaine, his brow creasing and sadness so much that this time Syoaran did look away, said, "She…has never told you of me, has she?"

Still not looking directly at him, Syaoran replied curtly, "She does not talk to me much at all, least of all her personal life." Syaoran would have very much liked to have left the man where he was and just ride back home, slip unnoticed into the barn and brood for the next week, but he had been asked to keep an eye on this man, and truth be told, he was curious. Perhaps this was his chance to get to know Sakura a bit more, a least indirectly. She and this Blaine character had history, though, from everyone's reactions, Syaoran doubted very much if it was _good_ history.

The thought cheered him slightly.

"Where are you staying?" The man flinched again. He didn't really seem to be used to people talking to him. After a second, he answered, "At the Shadow Creek Tavern." Syaoan nodded. He hadn't seen it since he got back, but he remembered it. It wasn't the nicest inn in town, but it was one of the cheapest, which probably explained why it wasn't very nice. Syaoran had opened his mouth to say that he would go with him, as there were many questions he wanted answering, when a streak of blue grey fur leapt out of the bushes and landed gracefully at Wolf's feet. Wolf snorted and sniffed at the cat as Syaoran tried to slow his racing heart, while using the brief time to curse damn cats and there stealth, when he realized it was Meeko. Meeko's tail was twitching in agitation, and after a quick yowl to Wolf and a look for Syaoran, she was off again, towards the witch's cottage. Without so much as a warning, Wolf trotted off, in the direction of Syaoran's home.

"What? Wait! Wolf, not that way!" An attempt at steering Wolf back to Blaine was completely unsuccessful and only resulted in Wolf whipping her head around and biting Syaoran on the shin. As Syaoran was unwillingly carried off, he turned back and scowled at Blaine, who was standing by his own horse looking quite bewildered. "I have some questions you are going to answer for me, so I suggest you go back to the inn and _stay there_." Syaoran continued to glare at him until Blaine nodded in agreement then seemed to resign himself to the fact that his horse was in charge at that particular moment and might as well enjoy the ride. Wolf pranced a little, the only warning Syaoran got, then broke into a canter, and then a full gallop. If Syaoran wasn't so concerned with trying to stay on Wolf's back, he probably would have wondered why Meeko was in such a hurry and why his horse was determined to get him back home…

10101010101

The clatter of hooves on the packed gravel drive alerted Eriol to Syaoran's arrival. Leaping from the open windowsill he had been perched on, he met a rather disheveled Syaoran as he leapt off the back of his horse. Wolf, apparently satisfied that her work here was done, trotted herself off to the stables. "Eriol? What…" The strained look on Eriol's face was enough to tell him what had happened. "No, it's Mia, isn't it? Is she alright?" Eriol ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "She isn't hurt, thankfully, just…" Eriol shook his head, "It was horrible, she wouldn't stop screaming, and nothing we could say would snap her out of it. I have never seen her like this before." They made there way into the house, where the met Isaac on the stairs. He was looking as drained as Eriol was. "She is asleep now. We gave her that potion Lady Sakura gave us. It…well, it calmed her down enough for her to tell us what she saw and…you know Theo, Mr. Rickman's cousin who was looking after the forge while he cared for his wife?"

"…_was?_"

"She saw it. She told us she could see everything, like she was a fly on the wall. Something, she is not sure _what_ it was, but something attacked Theo," Isaac paused and shook his head, "She lives on a farm Syaoran, she has accompanied us on hunts, as watched the forests enough to be familiar with death and the way of things, but she said that this was no creature simply feeding itself. She said that it was…some kind of monster. Even when Theo finally died, it wasn't finished." Isaac ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "She shouldn't have to see things like that! She is only a little girl!"

Eriol put a calming hand on his brothers shoulder as he turned towards Syaoran. "We were just waiting for you to get home. Meeko told Isaac that she was going to get Lady Sakura and her friends, and you if you were with them. We need to go to the forge."

"But what about Mia?"

"She's with Mother and Father in her room. She is better, but I think it will take time to ease the horror of what she saw." Isaac stepped aside slightly and let Syaoran pass. Mia's room was cool and quiet and he found Jenna and Geoffrey standing vigil by Mia's beside. Jenna was fast asleep in a cushy chair by Mia's left, and Geoffery was on her right. He gave Syaoran a small weary smile, then moved over to the window to give Syaoran some room. Mia was pale, and her eyes were red from crying. Upon seeing him enter, she looked up at him sadly and opened up her arms, wanting a hug. It was little comfort for the nightmare she had witnessed. Syaoran leaned back and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Isaac, Eriol, and I need to go into town Mia, to the forge." She nodded, sniffling a little, "I know…you need to see it yourself…there is something important about how he died that you need to see." Mia clenched Syaoran's shirt and looked up at him, trying to look brave, though her tear streaked face betrayed her misery. "I will be okay. Miss Sakura told me that when things are too important…or so horrible that it is impossible to forget…then all we can do is try and ease the memory and deal with it. The drink she gave me helps. She is right, and I want you to thank her for me, when you go see her again." If Syaoran hadn't already been head over heels for Sakura, Mia having said that would have tipped the scales anyway. Resolving to buy Lady Sakura many, many expensive gifts and to get her to at least talk to him no matter what it took, or whether it was actually nice, Syaoran kissed Mia on the forehead and went to stand up. A small hand tugged on his shirt. "A man," Syaoran stopped to look back at Mia, "A man, he is…connected to all of this somehow…to Miss Sakura and to what …killed Theo. I…don't know how…" She looked up at him, her face set, "His name is Blaine."

10101010101

The scene had not been pretty. Even for someone like Syaoran, who had witnessed the massacre of his family when he was but a boy, could barely keep down the bile that threatened to rise at the site of the carnage. From what Syaoran and his brothers could surmise before the body was taken away to be given a proper burial, was that Theo was attacked by a creature that had large, curved claws. But unlike any creature of this world, it did not seem to kill for food; there was no signs of the body being eaten just…torn open. The thought made the bile in Syaoran's throat rise a bit more. It had gone for the heart, had ripped it open but…that was it. It was confusing. The only thing in the heart was blood, but the body was not drained. So…it was after something else that resided in the heart… Syaoran shuddered involuntarily, whether it be from the cold or the horrible images that seemed almost burned into his mind. But what burned even more brightly than the horrific images, was a desire to find the man in the centre of this particular hurricane. The man called Blaine. An eye witness, a homeless man that had been in the alley behind the forge, had been woken by the sound of retreating hoofbeats, and had been able to just see the horse before it had ridden off into the darkness. From the description given, a horse that seemed remarkably similar to the one Blaine rode. So, he had been here too…

Once the body had gone, Eriol and Isaac had wanted to join Syaoran in looking for Blaine, but Syaoran had insisted that he should go alone. He just couldn't shake the feeling that Mia was still connected to all of this, just as much as Sakura was, and that they would be better off staying at Mia's side. He had told them that he would stop by home to tell them of anything he found out, before finally heading back to the witches cottage, to inform them as well.

It was going to be a very long night.

Finally, just as Syaoran's backside was going considerably numb from all the riding he had done in the last few hours (thankfully, Wolf, much to her apparent annoyance, had been properly saddled, so Syaoran had been spared anymore hours of bareback riding, though Wolf seemed to be purposely riding at a bone jarring gate. According to Isaac, she was unhappy at all this rushing around, and that Syaoran owed her many _many_ apples once this was all over…), he spotted the wrought iron sign of the Shadow Creek Tavern. Tying Wolf to a post out the front (and giving her an apple he had found in a food barrel in the nearby stables), Syaoran made his way to the taverns common room. It was quiet and all but deserted except for a cloaked figure by the fire and the tavern's owner behind the bar, quietly wiping a glass. The owner looked up when Syaoran entered. "Bit late to be about in't it, sir?"

Syaoran stepped up to the bar and fixed the man with an unwavering glare. "I understand that a man that goes by the name of Blaine is staying here. Which room?" The man put the glass down and crossed his burly arms over his chest. "This place may not be the prettiest bird in the flock, my boy, but I do not allow bounty hunters to do business here, no matter how big a bounty is on this 'Blaine's' head. And besides, the wife hates cleaning bloodstains off the walls."

"I am not a bounty hunter. The man Blaine has some information that I need. And besides," Syaoran said, crossing his arms to mimic the tavern keeper, "He should be expecting me." The tavern keeper looked at Syaoran levelly. "Hmm, well the man did say someone may be comin' round to speak to him, I canna really remember the description he gave me of the man suppose to be visitin 'im…"

Syaoran sighed and reached into one of his belt pouches, pulling out a few gold coins. "Could he have been, oh say, about 6 feet tall, brown eyes, long brown hair, perhaps?"

The tavern keeper eyed off the coins. "Could be, could be…" he said vaguely as he picked up one of the coins then bit it. The tavern keeper grinned. "Come to it, I do seem to remember him mention someone of that description. Funny, it seems to be describing you…"

Syaoran smiled grimly. He had always hated the sort of games tavern keepers liked to play, but unless he wanted to face the pointy end of the ax displayed quite handily behind the bar then he was going to have to be patient. Syaoran dropped a few more coins on the bar.

"He's stayin' in room 7, second floor.

With a terse 'Thank you' and a glare, Syaoran swept up the stairs, taking them two at a time, until he reached the second landing. The floor was dimly lit by a few spluttering lanterns in their holders, but it was not difficult to find the room marked with grimy metal 7. Not bothering to knock, Syaoran tested the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and stepped in.

To an empty room.

Syaoran silently cursed the tavern keeper and walked into the small, barely furnished room, spotting a worn bag by the bedside. A quick inspection revealed a few articles of worn, but good quality clothing, an ancient, leather bound (well, he _hoped_ it was leather…you never could tell with some of these old books…) book, and a small pouch full of coins. From what he could tell, this Blaine character must have been quite well off, from the type of clothes he had with him, but something had changed. All his things seemed to be in a state of disrepair. But he had plenty of money with him to get some decent clothes. It was puzzling. But what was really puzzling was what he found on the small table beside the bed. Next to a plain looking dagger and a blood stained bandage, was a small bottle of a thick, mud brown liquid. Syaoran pulled the cork and hesitantly sniffed the contents. It smelt faintly of blood. Syaoran frowned and re-corked the bottle. It was clearly a potion of some kind, but of which, Syaoran wasn't sure. It left him feeling uneasy.

And with an ever worsening headache.

With every new thing he found out, the less seemed to make sense, which probably just meant that he hadn't yet found out enough. Syaoran sighed. He wanted _some_ answers and it looked like the only available source that he knew (unless she recovered a whole damn lot faster than anyone was anticipating) wouldn't have run off anywhere was Sakura. But she was _not_ going to be happy about what he wanted to ask about.

'Sorry to wake you Sakura, just after you passed out in the middle of a snow covered forest after being drained by some mysterious demon of death, but I would like to ask you some personal questions about why you were going to be burnt to a crisp four years ago in your childhood village. Hope you don't mind.' Syaoran groaned silently to himself as he headed downstairs. He didn't even want to try and fathom her reaction, because it would inevitably be 10 times worse than anything he could imagine and that was just plain scary. Shooting the tavern keeper his most potent glare as he passed the chuckling man in the common room, Syaoran headed over to Wolf and hauled himself wearily into the saddle. Sleep, apparently, was something that was going to happen to other people tonight.

1010101010

Tomoyo jerked awake when there was a knock at the door, having fallen asleep in the chair by the fire again. She couldn't see the clock on the mantle to tell what time it was, but the lack of any glowing embers in the fire, and the barest hint of light through the window told her that it was early morning, pre-dawn. Keroberos, curled up by the fireplace, opened an eye a slit and 'hmmf'd', rolling over. "It is just that Li man-brat. You don't have to let him in…"

Tomoyo just rolled her eyes and headed over to the door. A rush of cold air hit her in the face as she opened the door, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company at this early hour, Syaoran?"

Syaoran brushed the snow of his clothes and stamped his boots, but his expression remained carefully neutral. "Sorry Miss Tomoyo, but I would not have come at such an early hour unless it was important. I need to see Sakura."

Tomoyo, one who usually gets rather excited when offered opportunities such as that, was far too tired to really care. "Unless your heart is _actually_ going to break unless Sakura suddenly confesses her undying love for you, do you think you can wait until a much more suitable time? A few of us have had a rather stressful night."

A muscle in Syaoran's face twitched. "It is important."

'_Hmm, he did not even blush_…' thought Tomoyo idly to herself. She studied his tired face and his set expression and stepped aside. "Well, come on, no sense letting all the warmth out." She eyed him wearily as he stepped inside then closed the door gently behind him. "She is in her bedroom asleep…I would prefer it if you did not wake her…but if it is as important as you say…"

Syaoran merely nodded as he headed towards the hallway.

Tomoyo and Keroberos looked at each other as he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, "My, he is certainly acting very serious this morning…"

"Hmph. Looks like hell, too."

"Oh shush, Kero," Tomoyo admonished, "He did not look _that _bad, just tired."

"So am I, but at least I don't look like something someone ran over with a cart…"

"Kero, that was harsh."

"Why, thank you Tomoyo."

Tomoyo just rolled her eyes as she gathered up her blanket. If she was going to be woken up by any impending arguments, then she was going to woken up in her nice comfy bed. On the plus side though, Sakura was going to be too busy yelling at Syaoran to bother with morning exercises, a rarity that Tomoyo was going to savior as much as possible.

1010101

Syaoran could feel his heart thumping erratically in his chest. He really didn't want to do this. As far as he was aware, she wasn't really connected to all this, at least not directly. Well, he hoped…after all, he didn't truly know why she was to be burned that day…But he needed answers and she was currently the only source of information he had. But a small part of him kept asking, 'did he really want to know?' And then there was the whole 'Sakura is/was my fiancé thing with Blaine…

The only surety in all this was that things were going to get very ugly, very soon…

Syaoran was knocked out of his thoughts when his ears picked up on a strange sound, coming from somewhere further down the hall. A sort of…growling sound…almost _primeval_.

It became readily apparent just what the cause of this sound was, when he eventually came to Sakura's room and quietly pushed open the door.

Syaoran face-faulted as his ears where assaulted by the sound now unheeded by the closed door. He jumped when Tomoyo coughed politely behind him, "Uh…she only ever does that when she is _really_ tired…"

Sakura was snoring, loudly, and with quite a bit of enthusiasm.

Keroberos glanced tiredly at Syaoran's rather dumbfounded expression as he padded into Tomoyo's room, "Oh come on, do not looked so shocked. The girl was drained pretty badly. And she is human after all." Tomoyo merely huffed and followed Keroberos into her room, closing the door behind her with a light 'click', only after giving Syaoran a strange look.

Sakura, making the deep throated noises that only someone in a _really_ deep sleep could make, rolled over to face Syaoran as he walked over to her bedside and, ignoring the '_snaak snaak snaak' _noises she was now making, cast a glance over her features. He could see that she had indeed been drained quite badly; the dark rings under her eyes and the paleness of her skin reflected in the predawn light was evidence of this (Which only went to make the scar, or whatever it was, on her cheek stand out more vividly). And her hair had seen better days. The small haystack he had seen before, when she had fallen asleep on the chair in the kitchen a few days earlier had nothing on the storm that she had now. Apparently, she was something of a restless sleeper, and she had a damn lot of hair.

Syaoran steeled himself for the worst, and reached a hand out to nudge her shoulder. "Sakura…_Sakura_" Besides putting a stop to the guttural sounds of her snoring, it did little to change her state of consciousness. Syaoran nudged her again, and called her name a little louder, but it proved just as useless as before. He glanced around himself to see if he could find something a little more affective, and turned back when the search proved useless and came eye to point with a dagger.

"I always suspected you of stupidity, Mr. Li, but I never fully realized until now, just to what extent the stupidity stretched." If the situation hadn't been so serious and, not to put to fine a…ah-ha, _point_ on it, so detrimental to his future ability to see, Syraoran would have laughed at the state of her hair. Several large parts of it were resolutely disobeying the law of gravity.

"If you could remove the knife, then I would gladly tell you of why I am here."

"What if I don't care why you are here? If it is all the same to you, I would just as rather be done with you and get back to sleep."

Syaoran looked past the blade and looked straight into her eyes. "I know you won't hurt me."

Sakura raised a delicate eyebrow. "And just what makes you so sure?"

Syaoran flicked the blade aside. "Because, if you had wanted to kill me, you would have done so already."

Sakura 'hmmphed' and tucked the blade back into the sheath she kept under her pillow. "Maybe I was just being courteous to my housemates, and not wanting to wake them with all your thrashing and screaming."

Ignoring the retort, Syaoran sat down in the chair by her bedside. "I have to ask you some questions."

"What makes you think I am going to answer them?"

"Because I believe they have some connection with whatever attacked Theo yesterday."

Sakura watched him for a moment then turned to face him, crossing her legs comfortably in front of her. "Okay then, ask away."

"Why were you going to be burnt at the stake, four years ago, in the town of Imar?" Syaoran steeled himself for her reaction…by cringing and squeezing his eyes shut.

He heard her suck in a breath, but when his limbs miraculously stayed attached to his body and heard nothing but a rustle of cloth, he risked a look out of one eye.

Then opened both eyes and searched around the empty room. "Well, that went better than expected…" His eyes landed on the open window, which he distinctly remembered was _not_ open when he came in. Syaoran poked his head out the window and looked down. A trail of footprints led out into the forest. Sighing to himself, Syaoran hoisted himself out the window and followed after her.

A few seconds later, he heaved himself back in, hunted around for a pair of shoes and her cloak, found her boots under her bed and the cloak on a chair, and hauled himself back out again. If she was going to be stupid enough to walk out into the snow barefoot and in nothing but a nightgown then he was going to be stupid enough to think bringing her shoes and cloak to her will make things better.

1010

Sakura stumbled in the calf deep snow, but managed to gain her footing before she fell. Thanks to the spell, she was pleasantly warm as she stomped off angrily, but she hadn't fully recovered from what happened earlier, so the continual drain from her resources (which she normally wouldn't even notice) was making her feeling nauseous and slightly dizzy.

She was finding, however, that muttering to herself was quite effective in keeping her spirits up.

"Damn him. Why did he have to bring _that_ up? And how did he know about that anyway? _Why _does he want to know? What has _that_ got to do with everything? I bet Blaine told him, that bastard…Coming here out of nowhere…messing everything up when I was just getting settled…Stupid Blaine…Stupid Syaoran with his stupid sword and his stupid eyes always looking at me and his stupid long hair in-" Sakura stopped suddenly mid-rant and mid-step when something hit the tree just to her right, causing the branches to relieve themselves of the weighty snow.

Right on top of Sakura.

A hand slowly and purposely rose to brush the snow off her face and, that done, she slowly and purposely turned on the spot. Syaoran was standing about 10 metres away, frozen to the spot, looking like a deer in the headlights, if headlights had been invented then, and if deer could, in fact, stand on two legs and throw things. The remaining boot was clutched tightly in his other hand. Her cloak slipped unnoticed into the snow.

She stomped forward, clumps of snow sliding off, "This," she hissed as she snatched up her cloak, "was my _mother's_"

Syaoran didn't move. In fact, he wasn't even looking at her. He was still staring at the tree that was missing all the snow on its branches, his mouth gaping like a stranded fish.

She was sure he hadn't been aiming for the tree, or even for her. She was sure that he had just intended for the boot to land somewhere near her to get her attention. But that didn't mean she was going to make things easier for him. Sakura sniffed as she slipped her cloak on, snatched her boot from his unresisting hands then trudged back to the tree to retrieve her other boot. She had just slipped on her shoes, brushed the last of the snow from her hair and had barely gone two paces when a yell broke the silence. "Sakura! Wait! _Please_."

But it wasn't Syaoran.

Sakura growled under her breath. "_Blaine…_"

As she turned around she noticed Syaoran blink and stand up straight then shoot the approaching Blaine a glare that could have turned the winter morning into a summer one. She dragged her attention away from Syaoran and onto Blaine. "I do _not_ want to talk to you."

Blaine looked desperate. "Please Sakura, I need to talk to you." Sakura turned her back on him and started to walk away, feeling her blood starting to boil. "_And I said I do not want to talk to you._"

"But Sakura-" Blaine pleaded, reaching for her arm.

Sakura spun around, slapping his hand away, "_I SAID, LEAVE ME ALONE!_" Blaine, looking shocked, stumbled back at the yell, as Sakura swayed and put a hand on a nearby tree trunk to steady herself. Syaoran finally snapped out of it enough to come to her aid. "Sakura? Are you okay?"

"_I am fine_," she bit out as she rubbed her forehead with a free hand. "And I do _not_ want to talk to _you _either…"

"But-"

"Sakura _please_, we need to talk." Sakura rounded on Blaine (Syaoran merely glared at him for being interrupted) her eyes full of anger and pain. "_Oh! We need to talk, do we? Why now? Why not 4 years ago when you left me for dead, when you let your Father take me away, when you betrayed me!_"

Blaine must have suddenly developed a backbone, because he straightened up, his face became steely and his eyes reflected some of the anger and pain of Sakura's. "_You betrayed me too_."

"_I did no such thing!_"

"_Oh really_," Blaine said, advancing a step, "_So, by never telling me you were a witch, by keeping this from the one person you said you could trust. If that is not a betrayal then what is it?_"

Syaoran, the forgotten spectator in all this, felt his heart clench when he noticed the tears escape from Sakura's eyes. "_You lied to me! You told me that nothing I could say would ever stop you loving me!_"

"_Sakura!_" He all but yelled as he grabbed her arms and looked her straight in the eyes, "_I have never, not once in all the years that we have been apart, stopped loving you. I am sorry," _The misery in his eyes and in his voice must have been too much to bare as Sakura had to look away, "_so sorry," _he slowly emphasized, _"for what I did, for what I didn't do, but you have to understand._" Blaine dropped his gaze and let go of her arms. "_My Father wanted me to believe that magic was tainted, was evil and that anyone using it would find themselves cursed and would become evil._ _I didn't want to believe him, but…" _Blaine stopped, dropping his head.

"_But what?_" Sakura hissed, her voice full of malice.

Blaine took a few steps back, apparently not wanting to be so close to Sakura anymore. "I-I cannot say…the problem is mine, I need to put right a mistake that was made many years ago… by myself…"

This, apparently, was the wrong answer.

Sakura rounded on him and her eyes blazing, the tears on her cheeks glistening in the morning light. _"You cannot say! What is with you and keeping secrets? In case you have forgotten Blaine, secrets are just the thing which almost got me killed!_"

Blaine was getting angry again. "_I have to do this on my own!_"

Sakura threw her hands into the air as she advanced on Blaine. "_Then why are you here? Why can't you just leave me alone!_"

"_Because I came to warn you!_"

Sakura's nostrils flared as Syaoran rightly predicted the start of a familiar argument. "_I do not need help from the likes of you._"

"_Sakura, this thing is after you-_"

"_Then tell me what it is so I can protect myself from it!_"

"I-I-ca-"

"_Oh what, you can't, is that it?_" Sakura interrupted. _"You want to warn me, but you are not willing to tell me the extent of the warning? What am I suppose to do then, hmm? Just sit around with a sword in my lap until this mysterious something comes and hope like hell that I have what it takes to stop it?_"

"_Please, if you would just listen-_"

"_I am done with listening to you._" Sakura's nostrils flared as she stepped back. "_I just wish I could have known then what I do now, that you are a selfish, spoilt, heartless pig incapable of human feeling, maybe then I would not have been stupid enough to think I was in love with you_."

Syaoran could see she was shaking, but he was sure it was not from the cold. He watched her as she turned, her chin set stubbornly, her face emotionless and determinedly walked away. But he had seen her eyes. He could see her pain, her heartache and her anger and it made his heart break all over again. Syaoran was about to follow when a hand grasped him on the arm. "Please, I need you to watch over her…"

Syaoran glared at Blaine and snatched his arm from his grip. "I do not need _you_ to tell me that."

"_Please_" something about the look of desperation in Blaine's eyes stopped Syaoran from turning away to follow Sakura. "I need you to stay with her. She is safe if she is not left alone."

Syaoran eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I-I just know that the-the thing has been watching Sakura for a time now. But she is safe if she is with company." Blaine looked imploringly into Syaoran's eyes. "You-you should do the same for your sister too…never leave her alone…keep her safe…"

Syaoran felt something snap somewhere in his sub-consciousness, which resulted in Blaine suddenly finding himself several feet of the ground with a grip like iron locked on his throat. "_It was bad enough that you involved Sakura in all this, but you have to go include my sister too?_" Blaine struggled feebly in Syaoran's grip. "_Tell me what is going on, or so help me, I will snap you like a twig._"

Blaine gasped, his fingers tugging feebly on the fist at his throat. "_Is-is she-argh-is she with others, with your-ugh-family?_"

"_Yes. What of it?_"

Blaine was starting to turn a little blue around the edges. "_Then-then she will be fine-ugh-if she stays with them._" His struggles began to weaken. "_You must-you must protect Sakura…she-she needs you more than you know…_"

Syaoran released his grip and let Blaine drop, gasping, to the snow. As Blaine lay on the cold ground, massaging his bruised throat, Syaoran took a step back, his expression almost confused, but before Blaine could look up Syaoran had already turned and had run, following Sakura's trail through the snow.

101010101

_(Twitches)_ How's that? When I sent the original version of this chapter to be edited, Bunni mentioned that it was too fillerish…so I'm hoping I improved on things a bit in this version…

Anyway, please review, and I hope it won't take me another, what year? to get the next chapter out. (I've actually written about 8 pages of the next chapter, but for most of you who are familiar with my writing habits, this won't mean too much…)

Till the next time we meet (which, with any luck, will be before Christmas…)

StarDragon, the depressed panda.


	11. Out of the frying pan

_Rises, Frankenstein-like, from the bowels of a dank and dark computer room_

_GRAAAAAA-I LIIIIIIIIIIIVE!_

_It has been far too long hasn't it?_

_Mostly due to evil schedules, partially due to losing…_

_THE _

_WHOLE_

_FREAKIN'_

_CHAPTER_

…

_One learns lessons from things like that. Firstly, that one whom is slightly computer illiterate should not fiddle with ones computer accounts, secondly, that if one is going to fiddle with ones computer accounts, then one should back-up files more often and thirdly if one would actually update in a reasonable amount of time, one would not be in ones predicament in the first place!_

_These things make one sad…_

_sigh_

_Luckily, I had an older version of the chapter on disc, but unfortunately any further work on it got pushed down my list of 'things to do'. And the few times I did try to work on it, I'd have periods of 'where was I going with this chapter again?' and 'GAAAAH! I just sat down and wrote 3 pages for an hour and it sucks and I suck and why am I doing this to myself!' followed by much wallowing and writing of depressing poetry._

…_Not really_

_Anway, this particular chapter is self edited seeing as I seem to have misplaced my editor (whom probably received the email from me and thought 'who the hell this strange person is sending me story chapters'…I really need to update more often)_

_It's late, and my brain has blown a fuse or two…_

_Don't mind me. _

_Thanks muchly for those of you who have stuck by me these last …err…years or so since I last updated, you rock _

_I hope it doesn't suck!_

Blessed Be

Chapter Eleven: Out of the Frying Pan

**111111**

Syaoran saw no sign of Sakura for a quite some time as he tracked her through the silent, snowy forest. Head down and moving at a brisk trot, he soon came to small rocky cliff, and though the rocks were effectively bare of snow, he saw a few scuffed boot prints further down, and an area of churned up snow down the bottom where she had obviously landed. Syaoran hopped from rock to rock and landed gracefully in the snow at the bottom and paused. He turned around slowly, his frown being replaced by a look of worry. Sakura had tucked herself into the space between two boulders and she was shaking violently. Her head was lowered, but he could see the tears dripping onto her clenched hands. It was a wonder that her fingers didn't tear the cloth of her nightdress, tight as she was holding on. Syaoran knelt down in front of her, making sure to give her a bit of personal space.

"Sakura? Come on, I think we should go back to the cottage…"

Sakura did nothing to acknowledge his presence, but Syaoran became aware that she was saying something under her breath. He leaned closer to hear her better.

"_Just get away…too close…just go away…_"

Syaoran bit his lip. "Sakura, I am not going to leave you like this, I need to get you home…"

Her grip tightened on her clothes, so much so now that her knuckles were white, and she tried to lean back, though her back was already pressed up against the rock. "_Just go away…_" A sob wracked her shaking body and a new level of desperation crept into her voice. "_Please, just leave me alone…_"

Frankly, Syaoran would have been less surprised if a pink grizzly bear had walked up to him, claimed to be the new messiah and was wondering if he wanted to join the new world order. It was the 'please' that did it. Something was obviously very wrong with her. Deciding that he would just have to deal with the consequences later, Syaoran reached out for one of her hands.

Her head shot up and she screamed '_NO! DON'T TOUCH ME-_" making Syaoran just about jump right out of his skin, but it was too late and he had already gripped her hand.

It happened the instance his hand touched hers. His sixth sense, one that had been rendered completely useless that day in Imar, suddenly reawakened and immediately kicked into overdrive. It felt like his brain was on fire. He could feel it, he could feel _everything_; the trees, the water rushing through the rivers, fires burning through the night, _everything_. And throughout it all, he could feel her, her essence, as though she was a part or connected to it all somehow. There was a sensation something akin to a full body hiccup before his sixth sense suddenly switched off again and he felt himself fall to the snow. Syaoran rolled onto his stomach and lay there panting, pressing his burning temples to the cool snow.

He had only been aware of it for a few seconds but it was enough to make him wonder just why he hadn't either been killed outright by it or driven completely insane.

'_This is what it's like for her? How can she live with this?_'

Syaoran pushed himself to his knees with a groan and a sweeping feeling of nausea and got unsteadily to his feet. Sakura, paler than ever and swaying slightly herself, gave him a contemptuous look as she tried to stand. "I _told_ you not to touch me…" She got two steps before her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed. Syaoran managed to catch her, but his head still felt like it wanted to split in two and smolder quietly by itself in the snow for a while and his legs had had about enough of standing so he ended up sinking to his knees, with Sakura cradled in his arms.

His sixth sense didn't kick in this time, something, for the first time since he had lost it, he was infinitely grateful for, so Syaoran decided to turn his attention to the woman in his arms. She was breathing quite shallowly, and her pulse, when he reached to feel for it at her throat, was shallow but regular. He looked back at her face and felt a chill race down his spine. Reaching from the edge of her lip up to mid cheek was a jagged scar. He gently ran a finger down it. It was an old scar, fairly deep and something that would have been difficult to hide with conventional ways. She must have been using a glamour or illusion of some description, one that remained even while she was asleep took more effort and energy than Syaoran cared to think of. But why she would have to do that was troubling. He knew for a fact that Tomoyo could cure a wound and leave it scarless. He vaguely remembered, back when he had first seen her chained and being led towards the stake to burn, that she had numerous cuts and bruises on her face. He was sure there had been one where the scar is now, but why had that cut left a scar where the others had healed fully? Resigning to add it to the growing list of questions, Syaoran sighed and, waiting a few seconds until he was sure his legs could support his weight and hers, he got slowly to his feet and looked around.

And then fell back to his knees again.

**111111**

Syaoran rubbed his face and stared blearily around at the people passing him down the street. He was tired, he felt like he had been run over by a cart that had not only reversed and gone back over for good measure but had also decided to add a few more people for extra weight and gone back for another go, and he felt ill. Apparently he must have looked it too, because people looked away hurriedly if they happened to look into his face and there was a growing area around him where people refused to walk. He sank down onto the edge of a frozen fountain and looked up to the top floor window of the Sword and Arrow Tavern. It was what had him so worried. There was only one place that had a tavern of the name Sword and Arrow and a man walking down the street had confirmed it.

Somehow, though from what he had just experienced he could now see that it was possible, they were in Imar.

She had taken then to _Imar_. He was sure this was the last place she would ever want to come back to, but he figured it must have been out of her hands. Perhaps there was an important reason for her coming here or perhaps it was just a rather sick coincidence. When he had picked her up and finally had a look at his surroundings, they were no longer surrounded by a forest with the small, rocky cliff at her back; somehow they had ended up in someone's backyard. A severely startled chicken had alerted the owners and after quickly making up an excuse for why he was holding an unconscious women in the middle of their backyard (he said that he had saved her from a pack of bandits and had run here to find help when his legs had given out from all the running) he darted off to the nearest tavern. They only had the one room available, so after making sure Sakura was warm and safe, Syaoran had gone off to the stables to finally try and get some sleep. Unfortunately, it was by now early morning, and all the stable-hands where up and about doing there various chores. Amongst the whistling, the singing, the various horsey noises and the clattering sounds of carriages going back and forth just outside, Syaoran decided that sleep was apparently just something that was going to happen to everyone else this week and so went for a walk. And besides, he had a lot of thinking to do.

If that was what she felt all the time; that she was connected to _everything, _to the very elements and more that was all over this world, then no wonder she was always so testy. But it didn't really make that much sense. No one, no matter how hard willed they were, could possibly put up with that sort of connection to that much power without going completely insane. He couldn't figure out how she did it. And he didn't know why he had been able to sense it himself. He had been in contact with her before and this hadn't happened. Syoaran sighed and shifted his position on the cold hard stone of the fountain edge to try and get a bit more comfortable when something round pressed against his hip. It was the jewel ball of his sword. Frowning, he pulled it from its pouch at his side and stared at it critically. A few seconds later he was walking resolutely towards the towns' blacksmith.

**111111**

Hermand's skull turned quietly on its pedestal as he watched Meiling and Tomoyo pace the kitchen agitatedly.

Meiling threw her arms into the air in frustration. "Where are they?"

Tomoyo, finding it hard to keep the annoyance out of her tone, replied levelly, "If I knew that Meiling, I would not be wearing tracks into the floor."

Hermand watched in amusement for a while as the two women started to bicker, before he butted in. "You could always try asking me…"

Meiling snapped. "And what good would that do, hmm? The best you can do is either tell us something vague or something that makes no sense whatsoever."

Hermand sniffed. "Well, if you are going to be like that, then I will just keep my mouth shut then."

"It would be about time too..."

Tomoyo stopped pacing when it was evident Meiling had turned her attention away from her and was about to get into a loud and drawn out argument with the skull. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to ask, Tomoyo turned to Hermand. "Please Hermand, if you know anything, we really would appreciate it if you would tell us."

Looking smug despite the lack of musculature, Hermand replied, his tone sounding just as smug as his expression. "Why thank you Tomoyo, it would be my pleasure to aid you when asked by such a refined and polite lady such as-"

"Just tell us what you know paperweight, before I drop you down the well." Meiling interrupted waspishly.

Hermands jaw snapped shut with a click and he shot Meiling a rather potent glare before answering. "All I know is that Sakura is nowhere in the immediate area."

Before Meiling could reach Mach 4 anger (her face was starting to turn sunburn red, which suggested she had reached about Mach 2 and rising) Tomoyo said, "Define what you mean by 'immediate area'…"

"About a hundred kilometer radius, give or take a few."

Meiling spluttered. "But, but that would put her out of town, out of the _next_ town! Are you sure?"

Hermand nodded mutely.

"You can't sense her _at all_?"

"Not a trace."

"But, how is that possible…you know how her power works…does that mean she's…" Tomoyo couldn't even bring herself to say the words.

"Well, when I say not a trace, I mean of her core. I can still feel her connection with everything, just not _her_."

Tomoyo sagged in relief. "You should have said so in the first place. Honestly, I almost had a heart attack."

"And besides, if she really had-" Hermand cut short of saying it himself at the murderous looks Meiling and Tomoyo suddenly shot him, "-err, what I mean to say is, Kero would have had an even worse fit than the one he had earlier."

They all turned to look at the unconscious form sprawled out on the rug in front of the fire. It was the strangest thing, and it had scared the living daylights out of Anya and Chi, who where hiding under a chair and watching Kero owlishly just in case he decided to make any more sudden movements. It was what had woken them all up, the first indication that things were far from being alright. A terrible roar had rocked the cottage and Tomoyo and Meiling had stumbled into the kitchen to find Kero, in his true form, claws digging into the stone floor so forcefully that stone chips had been flicking up all over the place. He had been thrashing his head around so much that everything in the near vicinity had been knocked flying, and he had been making such a terrible noise that all they could do was clap their hands over their ears and try to figure out how to help from a safe distance. But it was over almost as quickly as it had started and Kero had collapsed. They were all waiting for him to wake up so they could ask just what had happened. So far he hadn't even moved from where he had fallen.

"Why, thank you Hermand, for giving me something _else_ to look forward to," retorted Meiling sourly.

"I was only trying to help-"

"What? To give me a whole new angle for my nightmares? Really, you shouldn't have."

"Oh shucks, you are _too_ kind."

"I was _being_ sarcastic."

"So was I…"

There was a groan from in front of the fireplace. "Were you two married in a past life or something?" Kero, having at some point woken up, was slowly pushing himself to his feet. "Because you sure act like a married couple…"

Meiling nostrils flared and by the set of her jaw, must have been biting her tongue quite hard, replied in a very clipped tone. "Because you are in such a poor state, I will _pretend_ I did not just hear that…"

Kero, giving up trying to stand, flopped back onto his stomach with a grunt. "As you wish…"

Tomoyo had come over to kneel beside Kero and was patting him gently on the head. "Kero, what happened?"

Kero rested his head wearily on top of his paws. "Something happened to Sakura…" At the surprised gasps around him, Kero quickly amended. "Nothing bad. Well, nothing _physically_ bad, she wasn't injured or anything. But whatever happened caused her to loose control for a while." Kero sighed and closed his eyes. "She was in a lot of emotional pain. It was terrible...and with the sort of power she has, and how it is connected so strongly to her emotions…"

Meiling swore under her breath as Tomoyo moved over to the fireplace to get a fire going. "Hermand said he could no longer sense her anywhere nearby," Tomoyo asked, pausing from stacking the kindling in the fireplace. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

Kero nodded and winced, the motion apparently causing a headache. "I do not know _exactly_ where she is, she is just very far away. I could find her, but right now I don't think I'm up to it. She is safe though. I think that Li man-brat is with her."

Tomoyo smiled ever so slightly. "It almost sounds like you trust him, Kero…"

"Huh, _almost_…"

Meiling came over, Anya draped over her shoulders and deposited Chi next to him. Chi tilted her head to the side and meowed at him. Kero, eyeing the black cat, grunted, his tail flicking once in what apparently was agitation. "Great, I'm getting pity from the felines now…"

"Oh hush," Tomoyo admonished, having since got the fire lit. "They are only showing their concern for you. They are just as fond of you as you are of them."

"heh…"

"So, what are we going to do about Sakura?"

Tomoyo looked thoughtful when Kero shrugged. "I guess it is up to her, if she is as far away as she seems to be. Neither of us has the power to transport ourselves even into town, let alone wherever it is Sakura has actually gone. I am sure Syaoran will do everything in his power to bring her back safe. He cares for her very much."

"And as long as _she _does not find that out then they will both return with limbs still intact."

"One can only hope…"

**111111**

It was much later in the day that Syaoran, laden with several long packages, returned to the Sword and Arrow in hopes of at least finding Sakura awake.

What he found was a suspiciously well behaved tavern and Sakura dressed in tavern-girls outfit (which consisted of a dark red skirt, white blouse and black corset, together with her ever present gloves and her boots) serving meals and drinks. He noted that the scar on her cheek had been covered up by some sort of powder and in the firelight it was fairly difficult to see. After blinking a few times and briefly wondering why most of the men where looking exceptionally guilty and a few trying to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible, Syaoran deposited his purchases on an empty table and made his way over to Sakura. He could feel the looks of mingled awe, concern and abject terror boring into the back of his head as he approached.

Sakura turned to face him after depositing a meal, the slight smile on her face becoming even more fixed than it was already. "Syaoran, you are just in time for dinner. Do sit down."

"Sakura?"

Her smile appeared to be getting mildly painful. "…Yes Syaoran?"

"What are you doing?"

Sakura looked down at the tray she was carrying then to the meal she had just deposited, before looking back up at Syaoran. "Well, obviously I am teaching a small Norwegian child how to dance a merry jig. What did you _think_ I was doing?" She replied, somehow managing to keep her tone free of any actual sarcasm.

"I _mean_, why aren't you back in the room, resting?"

"It is late evening, I have had plenty of rest. The tavern maiden was kind enough to give me some more appropriate clothing and some food if I worked a little to help her out."

Sakura smacked him on the arm with her tray and pointed over to the table he had just deposited his goods onto, obviously indicating for him to go sit down.

"And because I did not have any money on me, nor anything valuable on me that I was willing to barter with, _nor_ did _you," _she continued glancing over to the packages that Syaoran had left at the table, "leave me anything. I had to improvise." She turned and walked over to the kitchen doors. She disappeared inside before Syaoran had a chance to retaliate, but returned a few seconds later with two bowls of stew and half a loaf of bread and seated herself opposite him.

It took Syaoran a few seconds to get over the thought that this was the longest and most civil conversation that he had ever had with Sakura, before he simply shook his head and started on the stew. They ate in silence for a while, but it was when Syaoran happened to look up when reaching for some bread that he finally spoke up again. "Sakura..?"

She looked up, spoon halfway to her mouth. "Yes?"

"Did you…_do_ something?"

She popped the spoon in her mouth, still watching him then swallowed the mouthful before replying. "You are going to have to be a bit more specific than that."

"I mean, why is everyone looking at me like I am in immediate danger?"

Sakura shrugged and focused her attention on her bowl.

"Someone just mouthed at me 'run while you still can'…"

Sakura made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat by way of answer as she ate another mouthful.

Syaoran's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Was someone hassling you?"

Sakura looked up. "Me? Oh no." She waved her spoon over to her right. "See the other tavern girl over there, the one that looks about 16?"

Syaoran spotted her over by the fireplace, tending the fire. She had the young, innocent features of a vulnerable girl; a heart shaped face framed by long, honey gold curls, wide expressive blue eyes and a petite form. Really, you couldn't help but think 'vulnerable innocent' just from looking at her. Sakura continued on when Syaoran returned his gaze to her. "She is actually a few years older than me, has two young children and a husband who is currently away on some sort of business at sea, but all the louts here seem to think she is fresh meat." Sakura swallowed another mouthful of stew. "_She_ was being hassled, I simply intervened."

"Intervened…"

"Yes."

"Did the intervention have anything to do with that spoon that has been wedged into the wall?"

"I really could not say…"

"Because it seems to be at an unusual height…"

"I did not really notice myself…"

"Almost at belt level, wouldn't you agree?"

"My, that _is_ interesting…"

Syaoran sighed. On one hand it was good to think that the people of the tavern would probably never hassle any of the girls here ever again, (in fact, for years to come any trouble makers would be led over to the spoon, which had a small plaque installed underneath it that read, 'Just one inch higher…' and told to really _think_ about their actions. The Sword and Arrow now has the reputation of having the most well behaved customers in the province.) but on the other hand, he did not really want to draw attention to himself, and he had wanted Sakura to rest, not play vigilante.

Sakura jabbed the packages on the table with her spoon. "So, what are those?"

Syaoran tried to hold back the oncoming blush as much as possible, luckily the tavern was lit only by candles and the fireplace, so the light was quite poor, "Just some things I happened to need…"

Sakura gave him a pointed look. "Really…"

Syaoran started to tap the tabletop softly with his fingertip. He was avoiding her gaze. "Sakura, I have been thinking…"

"Oh, you do not have to concern yourself over _that_, normal people do it all the time."

Syaoran cleared his throat and gave Sakura a dirty look before continuing. "…about our situation. Why we are here all of a sudden…_how_ we got here…" He trailed off, his eyes, as well as Sakura's following a customer as they passed by the table. Syaoran licked his lips slightly nervously. "Perhaps we should wait until we have returned to our room…"

A muscle spasmed down Sakura's cheek. Syaoran sighed mentally and prepared for the onslaught.

"­_Our_ room?"

Really, he was impressed she managed to shriek that in a voice no louder than a whisper.

Syaoran sighed out loud this time, and rested his chin onto his hand, knowing full well that arguing with her was pointless and trying to interrupt was going to result in something unpleasant.

"What on _earth_ do you mean by _our_ room? People will think we are…that we are…" Syaoran switched hands as he watched Sakura struggle to keep her voice down over the indignity of it all. He vaguely noticed that her tone had gotten a little louder… "_betrothed!_"

And because Murphies Law, though unwritten, is one of the strongest and most feared principles in the universe, the tavern maiden happened to pass the table at that _exact_ moment and immediately jumped onto the tit-bit of information like a starving vampire onto the nubile flesh of a sleeping virgin and cried out in joy. "Betrothed! Oh I _did_ wonder about your situation Lady Sakura. You seemed ever so reluctant about your particulars." She surreptitiously nudged Sakura on the elbow and gave her a wink, apparently immune to The Look (it deserved the capitals) that Sakura was giving her. "I cannot see why you were so shy about it. He seems such a charming gentleman…"

Syaoran, having successfully fought down the primal instinct to wet himself and scamper, schooled his expression into something pleasant and appropriately polite, replied. "You flatter me madame, but-"

"I was forced into it."

Both the tavern maiden and Syoaran look shocked, though for vastly different reasons. For Syaoran, it was mostly because he had actually been about to deny the claim in favour of something else (Though the excuse would have been handy, realistically, it would have left him alone in a room with her, and the window wasn't big enough for him to jump out off.) _He_ was going to say they were traveling companions…or business partners …or _something_. The tavern maiden didn't seem to be too shocked by the news itself; it was not uncommon for someone to be 'forced' (more commonly referred to as an arranged marriage of course), but by the slightly frightened, sick look on Sakura's face.

"…Forced dear…was your marriage arranged?"

Sakura opened her mouth, clearly determined to dig Syaoran into an even deeper hole, when Syaoran decided to speak up. "Pardon madame, Sakura jests. We are not married, just traveling companions. We were planning just to pass through this town when we were robbed by bandits. I believe I said something to that effect when we first arrived here."

The tavern maiden scratched her chin, looking mildly disappointed that she was not going to be subject to a juicy piece of gossip. "You did mention that…but you did not give me any _details_." She sniffed in a disappointed fashion and crossed her arms over her chest. "I _do_ so like to know a little about my guests…"

Syaoran bowed his head in a polite fashion (though it was mostly so he could have a brief break from the murderous expression on Sakura's face. He noted briefly when he looked up that several nearby people had started to quietly shuffle their benches to a safe distance.) "I understand madame. But there really isn't much to say. We were traveling to Port Lavreth," he continued to lie swiftly, "and were just planning to stay a day or two to rest when we were attacked. As we will need to stay for a while, until we can restock our supplies and clothing, would it be possible to get another room?"

Sakura looked positively flabbergasted as the tavern maiden gave Syaoran an apologetic look. "I _am_ sorry sir, but we are fully booked at the moment. But I will inform you as soon as a room is free."

"Most appreciated madame."

With a slight curtsey and a small smile, the tavern maiden disappeared into the kitchen. Syaoran, unable to get rid of the smug look, crossed his arms and smirked at Sakura. "Take your time, I can be patient."

Sakura's lip was curled in an unpleasant fashion. "Take my time doing _what_?"

"Thanking me."

Sakura just huffed and turned away. Syaoran grinned.

"So…" Syaoran said when it was clear she wasn't going to start up another conversation any time soon. "Why did you not just deny what the madame was implying?"

Sakura shuffled in her seat for a moment, then turned back to face him, though she didn't raise her head from the tabletop. "I was certain you would have backed up the whole marriage affair in hopes of benefiting from it. I just wanted to have some control over the situation."

"Please Sakura, though you entertain me greatly I would never stoop so low as to take advantage of you in such a manner."

"I _entertain_ you…"

"Never a dull moment."

Sakura scowled and stood up with a start, every fibre of her being radiating annoyance. "Fine." She slammed their empty bowls onto the tray. "My most sincerest apologies _sir_," she bit out with profoundest contempt, "but your _entertainment_ has work to do." And with that she spun on her heals, (almost sending the contents of her tray flying) and stomped angrily back to the kitchen. Syaoran smiled to himself as he watched her go. He would probably regret goading her later. He had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't above putting something unpleasant or poisonous (or both) into some article of his clothing. As aware as he often was of his surroundings, she was nothing if not resourceful. And she was trained, if not fully yet, but he was certain she could find a way to sneak up on him and exact precise and sticky revenge without his awareness until it was too late. For some odd reason this amused him, made him oddly…_happy_.

Syaoran frowned. He had never displayed masochistic behaviors before, he really hoped he wasn't about to start now…

**11111111**

Blaine tossed and turned in his sleep, his legs trapped in his heavy blankets.

"Nooo…" The single word almost seemed to cause him physical pain as he ground it out through clenched teeth.

Images flickered through his mind, mostly random but frequently returning to one image, of a young woman with long plaited auburn hair.

"_Nooo…_" Louder this time and accompanied by another violent pitch of his body, there was a crash of breaking glass as the vial that had been sitting on the bedside table was knocked to the floor. The sickly sweet smell of blood filled the room as a small circle of mud brown started to stain the rug. Blaine was completely unaware of this as the terrible voice clawed through his brain.

'**Hungry'**

There was a glimpse of someone stumbling through a still, snowy forest, a flickering of image after image of the faces of terrified people and animals, before finally fixing on an image of Sakura, her face flushed with rage.

"_Sakura…not…Sakura…_"

'**Sakura…no one else…only Sakura…**'

The image burned into his mind so much so that even in his sleep he knew that he would never be able to rid it from his memory. After a moment, it began to fade.

'**She has gone.**'

Quiet sobs echoed through the room as Blaine began to weep in his sleep.

'**I will wait.' **

**11111111**

Mia sat up with a start and only just managed to wrench the chamber pot from under her bed before she vomited. She coughed and reached for the pitcher of water on her bedside table. She was midway through rinsing out her mouth when her entire family, looking bedraggled but alert and worried came bursting into her room. Meeko bolted out the door unnoticed. She struggled to keep from going hysterical. "Sakura is in danger! It wants Sakura! We have to help her!"

**11111111**

Sakura sat up with a start, panting, then squinted when the early morning light streaming through the parted curtains shone right in her eyes. As her rapid heartbeat slowed, she tried to remember the details of the dream that had awoken her, but the fleeting images were fading and a knock at her door drove any lingering thoughts on the matter aside. At her answer Lily; one of the older ladies that did the laundry for the inn, entered, carrying in the usual pile of clothes for the day, as well as something else. Lily saw Sakura's curious look towards the top of her pile and smiled as she placed the bundle on the ledge in the adjoining bathing room.

Lily cleared her throat, "You and your young man are cordially invited to attend a masque ball being held at the Baron's estate on the eve-"

"I'm not going."

Lily stared in surprise at the sudden interruption. "Why ever not?"

Sakura swung out of bed and headed to the basin of water sitting beneath the window, splashing her face with the cool liquid. "Because I do not wish to."

Lily rolled her eyes slightly. "Oh tosh, everyone likes to go to Masques." Ignoring Sakura's exasperated look, she gently pushed her into the bathing room, closed the door for privacy (and consequently, her own safety) and waited until she heard a splash before continuing with an impish grin "and besides, I've already given an invite to your young man, and he's agreed to go."

The cacophony that followed was extensive to say the least.

Sakura cursed under her breath and dipped her head under the water. The workers at the inn were lovely but Sakura did not think she had ever met a more nosey bunch of people in her life. She figured it was something that just came with the profession of working at an inn with all the new faces that kept arriving. And she had given up trying to stop everyone referring to Syaoran as her 'young man'.

Sakura resurfaced and sighed, pulling aside a random strand of hair stuck to her face. "We have been here for barely two weeks, why on Earth would we be invited to a ball of all things." A hint of worry entered her tone. "I did not think the Baron was even aware that we were here."

A few days after their arrival, they had overheard another guest talking about how they had seen some of the Duke's guards questioning the family that lived in the house where Syaoran and Sakura had made their untimely and unexpected arrival. Luckily for them the family didn't much like the Duke's snooping and had pleaded ignorance of where their mysterious guests had gone. The various inns in the town had been investigated but there were always so many people coming and going that Syaoran and Sakura merely blended in with the other guests. Syaoran was sure that the Duke had somehow sensed the magical outburst that would have occurred of their arrival (exactly how he did that, given his detestation of all things magical was their most common topic of discussion) but ever since they had been in town they where careful in not using magic. Very few people could sense magic in a person when they were not using it and it seemed the Duke, or whoever or whatever he had in his entourage, was not one of them.

"Oh, the invite was not originally for _you_, dear," Lily replied cheerfully, "but our dear tavern mistress has prior arrangements on the evening and wished to pass the invite on to you as a thank you to all the hard work you and your young man have been doing around the inn."

For lack of any people in her immediate vision, Sakura opted to scowl at the bar of soap. "So? You have been working here far longer than I have, why did she not give it to you?"

"Because I have been to enough events in my time and you really do deserve an evening of leisure."

Sakura continue to scowl as she stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. "_Fine_ _then_, but if you will be kind enough to remember the predicament that brought me here, I do not have anything that would-"

"Your outfits are already arranged dear, I took care of it as soon as your young man gave his assent."

Sakura dried herself off with a bit more vigor than was strictly necessary. "Great! _Won-_derful! And I suppose the gilt carriage drawn by four white stallions is arranged for our transportation too, is it?"

"Sorry dear, all carriages are have already been claimed by others. I am afraid the best we could do was a nice young pair of chestnuts, though I believe your side-saddle has some gilt-like embroidery on it."

Muttering a few choice curses under her breath, Sakura dressed quickly and went over to the mirror to apply powder to the scar on her cheek. (Mercifully Syaoran had yet to question her about it and she didn't offer any explanation about why it was there, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he was just itching to ask her about it.)

That done she wrenched the door open and shot Lily a glare as she headed over to her boots.

"No need to scowl, you are going to have a lovely time."

"Somehow I doubt that, especially with Syaoran as my escort."

Lily gave her a surreptitious wink as she gathered Sakura's night clothes. "You say such things, but there has not been an evening yet where you have not gone for a stroll through the town in his company."

Sakura fought down the rising blush and cursed at herself mentally for having to do so. It was true though, but not for the reasons she, and everyone else it seemed, thought. Midway through the first week of their stay, Syaoran had discovered an area in the forest that would be useful to use as a place to talk of their situation as well as continue the training he had promised to give her away from prying eyes and ears. And Sakura was beginning to admit, though at first she refused to put it down to anything but lingering mental trauma from her arrival, that despite his peculiarities, his general scruffiness and his habit of hovering near her almost constantly, he was quite enjoyable company. They had not exactly met in the best circumstances and due to the bad first impression, (but mostly due to her stubbornness and immediate mistrust) she had been responding poorly to him ever since, regardless if he actually done anything wrong. Now, however, she been too busy, or too tired and just generally distracted by the mere fact of winding up in the very last place she would ever want to be that she just didn't have the energy to be angry at him. She had realized one day (it actually shocked her so much that she had walked right into a table) that for an entire day, she had not been hostile towards him.

Not really profound for some, but for her, it was huge. They still quarreled over things, but there was none of the burning anger and borderline hatred that she used to inject into any of their confrontations.

What was worse was that he had started to pick up on it. She had noticed him studying her, especially when they went off to train and to talk, and around the inn he would seemingly appear out of nowhere, give her a hand with whatever task she was doing, have a chat then disappear just as quickly. Ever since the tavern maiden had learned that Syaoran had experience in horse care, he had been given the job of stable boy. It was a busy inn and Sakura knew that there was more than enough to do in the stables to keep Syaoran and all the other stable-hands occupied. It seemed that he was making a concerted effort to spend time with her, and the instances where increasing day by day. And then there were the little trinkets she would find that she just _knew_ were from him (there was never a note and she refused to actually ask him about them); things that just said 'Saw this, thought you would like it' that always seemed to arrive at times when she most needed cheering up.

It was rather infuriating really. Sakura knew it would save herself quite headache if she would just admit that she liked the man enough to call him a friend and not spend so much of her time mulling over why she suddenly wasn't getting so angry with him.

More disturbing still, some of the things he did, the trinkets where a case in point, suggested that he was courting her, but being extremely subtle about it so that she wouldn't respond in her usual default of get angry and close off from him.

In any case, due to all the hard work both had been doing, they had enough money to re-supply and get themselves a pair of horses that could take them to a safe distance away from the town so Sakura could safely then transport them back home. They had been tentatively planning to leave the coming Friday, the morning of the Masque. Sakura didn't particularly want to delay their departure for a Ball of all things, especially one hosted by the dreaded Duke. After a few more minutes chatting, Lily excused herself to get back to the laundry room, so Sakura headed down to the stables, her forehead creased in mild apprehension.

She had a feeling he was going to be rather stubborn about the whole Ball thing…

Syaoran sat in the middle of the tack shed, his back to the open door and looked at the saddle in his lap critically. Having been given the job of stable boy, Syaoran spent most of his time, even sleeping, in and around the stables. A spare room off the tack shed had been converted into a make-shift bedroom no charge, which meant that they had managed to save up the money they needed to leave the town much quicker than Syaoran had been expecting. With only the horses and the few other stable-boys around Syaoran had a certain amount of privacy and peace that he appreciated. For one thing, it meant he could work on the task which involved the three packages he had purchased early on in their stay in the town in private, and away from Sakura's prying eyes especially. The final stages of said task couldn't be completed until they left for town, but nonetheless, it would save a lot of hassle if Sakura didn't stumble across it just yet.

Deeming the repaired strap on the saddle suitable for use, Syaoran placed it on the rack next to his stool, and bent to pick up a stiff length of rein.

"We are going to the Masque." He said calmly, his eyes still on the reins.

He heard Sakura make an annoyed 'huffing' sound behind him before she strode into his line of sight, arms crossed.

"I hope you have a good reason. Or are you just planning on giving me that one last dance before the Duke tries to burn me again?"

Hooking another stool over with his foot for her to sit on, Syaoran replied with a grin, "The last dance part sounds about right, but I have no intention of letting the Duke, or any of his minions for that matter, get their paws on you." Sakura, uncomfortable in his lingering glance, looked away, her frown deepening.

"So why do we need to go? I thought we had enough to leave that morning."

Syaoran sighed and pretended to focus on the reins, though he was really watching her closely, to gage her reaction. "We agreed that we were sent here for a reason, that there was something we needed to find out, yes?"

Sakura turned to face him. "Yes, and we went to my father's old house, as well as that of my friends, but anything that once belonged to us has been destroyed. There is nothing left."

There was silence for a moment.

"I have been thinking. You told me that you and your family and friends never did anything that would invoke his wrath, and that you were not aware of anyone else doing anything of the sort either. And you also mentioned that the Duke got worse, that he suddenly got stricter and more ruthless about magic for some unknown reason."

"We just assumed he had grown tired of there existing a group of people he did not control, and that brought on all the new laws. He has always been very fond of control."

"You told me his wife passed away quite unexpectedly, but that all the new laws and his increased callousness occurred quite some time before she had passed on."

Sakura, chewing the inside of her cheek, nodded.

"So something else happened, some hitherto unexplained event that tipped him over the edge from general dislike, into actual hatred. The incident concerning you and Blaine is mixed up in all this, but that also happened after the fact. I also believe Blaine is hiding something." Sakura didn't answer, but he could tell that she was deep in thought. "And then there is the fact that the Duke can somehow sense the use of magic, and only magic items or magical people can do that. Does it not strike you as odd that for someone who hates magic so much, they would have magical things at their side? That speaks of obsession to me."

Sakura snorted. "I have thought that myself often as a matter of fact."

"Have you ever seriously thought of that though, not just as a jibe?"

Sakura frowned in thought. "I…guess not…" She replied slowly.

"Something happened, something that affected him so badly that he'd willingly be around something he hates so much, and I think I know where we can find out just exactly what that was."

Sakura grimaced. "That is why you agreed to go to the Masque… You want to use it as an opportunity to get into the manor and snoop around."

Syaoran grinned. "Exactly!"

Sakura rubbed a hand down her face. "Is it really necessary to wait for the Ball. Surely we can just go tonight and get it over and done with."

"I believe it would be too risky. The manor is too well guarded. At least at the Ball, the Duke's attention, as well as that of the guards, would be distracted."

Sakura grimaced again. "I know. You are right..." She gave Syaoran a suspicious look when she caught the impish grin he was trying to hide. "Methinks you have an ominous plot beneath all this sneaking around and prying in the Duke's sordid past."

Syaoran grinned fully. "If by ominous you mean letting me see you dressed up all pretty and getting the chance to have a few turns around the dance floor with you then yes, yes I do."

Sakura grinned sweetly, usually the first warning tremor that Mount Sakura was seconds away from erupting, and leaned forward, practically getting nose to nose. "Then I do hope you are quick on your feet, because I plan to step on them for as long as you make me dance with you." With two light pats to his cheek, she rose graciously and strode out of the room.

The declaration was no light threat. Her boots, though quite dainty and feminine, had rather hard heels and could inflict quite a lot of damage when used properly. Syaoran wasn't worried though. The fact was that Sakura was far more tolerant of him than she had been before. There was a certain level of trust there. She was treating him more as though he was a slightly cheeky, occasionally annoying friend rather than her worst enemy. Things were looking up.

Syaoran's toothy grin just widened.

**11111**

_Meh_

_I hope I haven't forgotten something in this chapter…some details have changed with each rewrite and I can't remember what I originally wanted to happen in this chapter. (go figure…)_

_For one thing, I was tossing up whether to do the ball actually. Well, to be exact, it was always going to happen, but I was trying to decide whether I'd have them actually go or have them sneak in while it was going on. Eventually decided on the former course of action, but I refuse on principle to make it sappy. evil grin you know me, I am going to make it interesting. _

_Originally, I had them sneaking in, with it being Sakura's idea to do so, but that fell by the wayside seeing as it didn't progress the story along like I wanted it to. (…heh, 'progress the story along'…I find that both amusing and ironic…)_

_Anywho, I'd best be off before my eyeballs start to leak out of my head, _

_Cheers and ja ne!_


End file.
